When Fire Meets Ice
by HDSweet Saren
Summary: Alternate ME universe where Shepard and Vakarian are arch enemies drawn together by a burning passion that neither of them can understand. Rated M for explicit sexual content, language, and violence. Reviews are more than welcome, thank you and enjoy! Disclaimer: All rights reserved to the Bioware Corp. :)
1. Better luck next time!

When Fire Meets Ice

Surrounded by rubble tainted with flames and mixtures of smoke, Garrus made his way to another computer terminal. His talons bit over the keys like Mozart playing the piano. Expertly he extracted the last of the data before removing the data-orb from the screen and placing it in his pocket.

His head did a silent cheer as his sharp blue eyes pressed for an exit. Smoke canceled his vision for milliseconds before his visor recovered it. A sleepy exit lay just behind a vicious barrier of metal beams and burning debris. Garrus raced to the exit, lifting each beam prudently but in a feverish manner. After ridding the space of the obstacles, his body flew through the space like a maddened tank, extra rubble raining down on his bulky form.

Alarms blared so loudly in his head that he was deaf to them. He chased the burning path, following the silent schematics blessed on his visor. As he turned a corner he found himself in an open space. A war ridden room pulled at his eyesight, but he remained vigilant of the task at hand: Get back to the ship-back to Omega. His work had sent him to this seemingly pristine planet to extract some viable data that could put his boss out of business and if she went down, Garrus would be out of work.

The exit to the building was near. He just had to go down a few levels and… BAM! A sharp kicked neared his face but his reflexes protested the blow. The leg quickly rebound only to have the second one slicing for the back of his head. Garrus dipped, nearly taking the second blow. He felt the wind of the limb whooshing over his form.

More deadly limbs fired at him, causing Garrus to maneuver in the wrong direction. A fist neared his face, then another, followed by more kicking legs. Garrus finally caught one of the legs only to be clocked in the side of the face by the other. He staggered against the blow as another feigned for the chest, only to break into an upper-cut. He caught it, catching time as well.

A fit, being of shorter stature and a curvy form dressed in dark armor mocked his eyesight. "The data's mine." She simply said with flaming words.

"The fuck it is." Garrus growled as his hands were forced to release the limb.

Going on the offensive, Garrus advanced with his own, equally impressive fighting style. Taking the woman off-guard, she was now pressed back against her will. They tangoed for several long minutes as the structure around them moaned with the threat of giving. Debris rained down around them while smoke danced upward in a silent revelation of the inevitable.

Two physically fit bodies encompassed by form fitting armor crashed to the floor amongst the rubble like a dying spacecraft. With Garrus on top he quickly used his reach to his advantage. Grabbing for the back of her helmet attempted to remove the barrier—to look his foe in the eyes.

She protested with her flexibility, wrapping both legs around his arm and kicking him in the face with the heels of her boots. Garrus' head bounced back but he quickly recovered, only to be momentarily pinned by his attacker. He jolted for another offensive move but was stilled by the familiar taste of cold steel, sharp against his unprotected neck.

With his head still up, the female removed the helmet. "Shepard!" Garrus rasped with revelation.

Red hair lacing a rugged-narrow shaped face with green eyes met his. "Hi Garrus, or should I say… Archangel?"

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Garrus already knew the answer. She was everywhere he was. Two mercenaries in the battle of time and finesse; they always seemed to be pinned up against one-another.

"I was in the neighborhood; heard that you might have some hazardous data, thought that I would relieve you of it before it fell into the wrong hands."

Suddenly, with expert skill, Shepard had removed the glove hugging her free hand. Tracing down his armor she sang, "Now where would a big, strapping boy like yourself be hiding it?"

Garrus growled as he felt her many digits tracing down his chest armor. "Shepard, I'm giving you one chance to get the fuck off of me, that's more than I give most."

Gripping the blade tighter in her smaller palm she pushed her silver friend further down against his neck. Garrus' fringe rested back down on the rubble with Shepard adjusting herself so that her face was closer to his. "You're bold Garrus, making threats with a dagger against your neck. That's what turns me on about you… that and well… your voice." Her voice had darkened as her hand attacked the clasps of his lower armor.

"What are you doing, you know damn well I didn't put it down…" _there_ was what he was trying to say before her fingers grazed his groin-plates. His breath hitched as electricity ravaged his head and feet, running up his legs and down his carapace in unison.

Shepard rubbed the softer plates with an aggressive determination. Feeling them began to shift she dipped her head down low to his ear canal. "I'm going to fuck the shit out of you first, then I'm going to take what is mine."

Garrus' plates separated at a quicker pace. "The… hell you… will." He fought to swallow a moan that was building up inside him.

Once she got a hold of his member, her hand went to work. "Mmm, your cock says otherwise." Gliding up and down his shaft; the dagger remained glued to his neck. Her hips straddled against his lower waist.

Commotion of falling debris broke the moment of growing bliss only for the briefest of an instant. Garrus forced to keep himself at bay but his primitive mind was quickly invading in form of rationale.

"Uh, Garrus, you like that?" She whispered as her armed quickened in pace.

Garrus' talons found their way upon her hips. His eyes still meeting hers with predatory lust lurking in the depths. Her lust was at the front—foremost of her eyes, hovering over him as if he were her prize. He slowly tugged at her lower armor only to feel his body instinctively thrust into her palm.

"You like it, don't you big boy?" She whispered his dirty little secret. "Don't you Garrus?"

He somehow managed to slip his claws underneath the seam of her pants; as if his hands sought her permission to disrobe her lower half.

"Answer me damn you." She continued in her drunken whisper.

"Uh… spirits…" was his only response. She cackled as Garrus slipped into her spell.

A part of the ceiling split, collapsing nearby but Shepard only glanced at the obstruction, never losing her pace with Garrus. Her hand moved harder against him causing him to groan. Her dry hand added a sense of pain to his throbbing member; pain mixed with immense pleasure that washed over his much larger form.

Shepard lulled her head back in an attempt to balance the weight of ecstasy drowning her mind when she suddenly felt the quickness of a hand grasping her own. She was flat on her back with no in between. Garrus now had the upper hand with the dagger against her neck. Her eyes beamed with green envy and amazement. Garrus snarled at her vulnerable form. His mandibles jabbed at her bare collarbone with his erect member stabbing at her covered navel.

He worked his free hand underneath him, relinquishing her of her pants. "Bastard." She uttered in a tone of defeat as he jerked the armor off of her. Once he could feel her underwear his talons hovered over the flimsy barrier.

Pressing the blade closer to her skin, he neared her face as she had done to him. "Here's how this works, I'm going to fuck you, then I'm going to come all over your body, and then I'm going to leave with the data."

"Like hell you will." Shepard attempted to expand on her protest when Garrus reached down between her legs which had clamped shut. Squeezing a pressure point jolted her thighs open, and without warning he forced himself into her moistened heat.

Shepard continued to talk. It was more like mush pouring from her mouth. Empty threats tossed in the air carelessly while Garrus thrust himself deeper into her. Shepard's body was struggling to accommodate his girth. The pain he delivered to her was inconceivably satisfying on his end; driving tears from her eyes.

"Fuck." She moaned loudly as the pleasure began to rape the pain into submission.

Holding the dagger was yielding to be an inconvenience. He swiftly tossed the blade aside. Shepard grabbed at his forearm in an attempt to break his hold but he ended up snatching both of her wrists. Pinning her to the floor, he ran himself deeper into her, causing her body to arch. Aware of the danger he sped up the pace. Wires cursing out sparks of electricity over oily water taunted his mind with thoughts of a massive explosion.

He dove in as deep as he could, dropping his forehead onto her neck. Shepard moaned as Garrus left her body with little options. "You like that, don't you bitch?" Garrus hissed as he raised his head to meet her eyes.

With what little will power she had left she raised her head. "Fuck you asshole." She barked in a dying whisper, tears still leaving her green eyes.

Garrus used the rest of his body to pin her down all the way; her form giving in to his demands. She found herself thrusting into him. Her head rolled to the side leaving her neck exposed. Garrus traced it with his tongue before nipping a nicely sized mark onto the flesh. Shepard cursed at the pain, trying to free herself from his grasp but it was of no use.

As more of their surroundings screamed out their impending doom, Garrus quickened his pace even more. Another growl escaped his throat. This one told that his end was near.

Through gasps and broken thought, Shepard begged Garrus for mercy. "Garrus… don't… don't come on my armor."

"Don't come on your armor?" Garrus spat in a mocking tone. He pounded into her with a renewed sense of control. "Then where… should I finish?"

"Uh…" Shepard felt her end drawing near as well. "I… I don't know." Her words ran from her mouth in a tornado bordering on confusion. "Fuck… just… don't… mess up my… armor… uh… Garrus!"

Sweat ran from his brow, nearing her mouth. "Okay, I won't…" With her mouth open, Garrus filled it with his long flexible tongue. Yanking it out he quickly finished his sentence. "I'll just come in your mouth instead."

Gripping the back of her head harshly, he rolled over guiding her mouth to his aching male anatomy. With her ability to protest relinquished, he pumped her head up and down his shaft. Her teeth grazed his flesh with each thrust; the pain only adding pleasure to the overall sensation.

"Uh… Shepard, that's how you should use your mouth… from now on." He thrust into her mouth as if he were determined to split her skull open. His speed intensified despite her gagging. He forced himself as deep as her throat would allow. His talons dug into her skull but he was oblivious to the added pain he delivered to her. Maintaining a steady rhythm, he drove her head down a few more times before the borders of his vision shifted from pulses to a bright collapse. His entire body folded under the wave of pleasure and angry release. Spilling deep into her throat, his warm seed fled from him, causing his body to convulse. Through the deafening silence his senses caught sounds of Shepard swallowing his load.

With one final squirt, Garrus threw her head back, discarding it like a used rag. Shepard rolled onto her back, exhausted and slacking in breath. Warm metallic traces of his seed chased to one side of her mouth. It hurt to move but Garrus forced himself up, adjusting his lower half.

His mandibles flexed with arrogance as he looked down at her crumpled form. "Now that's a sight I'm sure going to miss."

Shepard grabbed at her vaginal area which was ringing in her head a call of pain. Dry tear stains marked her cheeks as she held fast the ground.

"See you around, Shepard." Garrus spat as he relinquished her of her pistol. That was the only visible weapon on her beside the dagger which was at a safe enough distance for him to drop his guard which would equate to minimal consequence.

With the data secure, Garrus fled the scene; watching from the cockpit of his shuttle as the building collapsed with a reddish-black explosion complementing the destruction. Sometime while he drifted into the polka dotted sea of dark space he sent his boss a message of a successful mission.

His mind wallowed in the heavy silence as images of Shepard's strong fit body, naked and powerless underneath him surfed the hollow parts of his memories. He found his groin-plates shifting eagerly for more of what he thought would never be again.

BWOIP! His omni tool sang.

Garrus was on the verge of sleep or masturbation which would drive him to sleep faster. His mandibles flexed with slight nuisance of the interruption. He clicked on his omni tool, glancing at the message. The heading was unknown but the message was clear: _Better luck next time you turian bastard_!


	2. Return of a Phantom

Note by author: I would like to thank everyone for leaving their comments. I am rushing through this story because it is fresh in my head so apologies for any grammar mistakes. This idea came from several different places but one thing I did notice is a lot of shekarian fiction was mushy, kissy-poo stuff; which I don't mind. However, I am trying to write something that is a bit taboo; if I may say so. Okay, enjoy, leave comments, thanks.

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Garrus arrived at Omega, the galaxy's trashcan to collect his bounty. Afterwards he sank into the the crowds, shopping at the local stores for weapon's mods and parts additions to his ship. Garrus wasn't much of a social cat but he did have a few friends drifting out in dark space. When Jacob Taylor pinged him, Garrus couldn't resist the invitation.

Jacob 'The Prize' Taylor was one of Garrus' most trusted allies. He usually had the 411 on most anybody, and if not, he knew how to find out. Garrus often came to him for side jobs: The turian was a bully in his own right, but he was protecting the weak. There had been many times that the _Archangel_ had to bring justice down upon those who he and Jacob thought deserved it. Jacob was also a porn director, aside from selling red sand a local favorite at the night clubs.

Garrus arrived at _Maximum_ _Satisfaction Studios_, Jacob's studio; 'Where the magic happens!' With his mandibles slightly erect and his shoulders jovial, Garrus hopped into the elevator and took the quick ride up to the second floor. The building was an impressive glass structure smeared with nudity for all sapient species. Krogan, hanar, asari, quarian, human… whatever wet the appetite of the customer, Jacob 'The Pirze' had them covered.

The elevator whooshed open to reveal Garrus' proud form. He was still in his armor, now cleaned; grasping for control of his excitement. His eyes had been blessed by the sight of a stunning human woman with a very curvaceous rump. A rouge thong no larger than a napkin at a fast food restaurant stuck to her ass. Her hair was blond, but Garrus could tell that it had recently been dyed.

The thong was the only article of clothing she wore. There were many other naked or mostly naked females of different races standing far off to the side. They chatted freely in a way that hinted at the contentment they held for each other's bodies. Anyone else would've been blown away by weighted vision of sexual art.

A naked female turian cat-walked by Garrus. He caught a whiff of her exotic scent that sent him near the edge. Jacob's voice was the only sound that pulled him back. "A, buddy, over here." Jacob waved with a strong smile that said, 'Friendly but don't get on my bad side'.

The female turian glanced at him with the promise of a good time in her eyes. Garrus felt his member throb with longing as his groin-plates threatened to shift apart. He swallowed his hunger and made way his over to 'The Prize' Taylor's directing chair.

The African American male hopped out of his seat to secure the shrinking distance between them. Grabbing his hand, Jacob greeted the turian with a traditional human handshake; bringing the both limbs near the chest before releasing.

"Archangel!"

"The Prize." Garrus replied with a mellower tone.

"How's things been?"

Another naked body snipped at Garrus' attention. "Alright." He couldn't hide the weight in his words; the worry that rested on his chest. Carrying the burden of Archangel—the dark knight of Omega was not easy. Very few people knew who he was and for their sake, they were on his side.

"You like what you see?" Jacob read his friend's thoughts aloud.

Garrus' eyes were on quarian female, her body was the only one still wrapped up, but the environmental suit she was wearing left very little to the imagination. She suit she wore was clear; the vision pulling at Garrus' yearning. Then there was the not-really-blond girl who was about to get it on with a krogan.

"I can hook you up with any of these girls if you like?" Jacob prodded.

Garrus finally looked away. "No, thanks man but I'm… fine."

Jacob read him better than he read himself. "Come on, sit down."

There was another chair next to the director's seat. Garrus took it, settling down as if he hadn't sat in weeks. "Ahh." The sound escaped his mouth a bit louder than he intended.

"What' been going on with you?" Jacob grabbed his blow horn before taking to his seat. Camera bots hovered over the round, heart shaped bed that danced in an ever-so slow spin. With a naked krogan lying in a seductive pose; pedals of exotic flowers showered down on him.

"It's just… I ran into Shepard again." Garrus started.

Neither of them was making eye contact. Their eyes ran straight ahead, capturing the sight of a steamy sex scene about to unfold.

"Shepard!" Jacob's voice carried revelation.

"Yeah, somehow she found me on Bekah, and tried to steal another one of my contracts."

"What a bitch, why doesn't she just find her own contracts? I'm sure she's capable of it."

"Well I was hoping you could tell me…?" Garrus fished with blind optimism. "Anything."

Jacob still didn't look at him even though Garrus was. "It's very hard to find files on orphans, especially human ones."

Garrus relinquished a weighted breath into the thick, euphoric atmosphere.

"Get those arms up Miranda so the cameras can get a better shot of your breast.

Sensing his frustration, Jacob bridged the gap that secretly crept up between them. "I know someone who can help—goes by the name of Liara T'soni." Garrus and Jacob finally locked eyes but only for a brief second before Miranda's curves tore them apart. "She's an information broker, pricy but well worth it. If you'd like, I'll pass your name along and see what she can do for you?"

Jacob waited for Garrus' response. Shadow brokers operated through others called hosts; never directly with clients because information was such a hazardous business. "Come one Miranda, put your back into it."

The woman named Miranda was on top of the krogan, grinding her hips against his sides with a noticeably slacking pace. Her face wrote silent tales of displeasure.

"Fuck," she finally admitted. "I need some more of that lotion; I'm starting to chafe on Wrex's hard skin."

The krogan had a pleasing smile on his scarred face. "You humans are so squishy."

Jacob sighed. Using the blow horn he barked out his orders. "Mordin, get Miri here some more lotion, and someone get more rose pedals. Jenkins, turn off that awful music. Gardner, stop clipping your toenails next to the food!"

Garrus finally answered Jacob's long awaited question. "Okay, forward my information to this T'soni woman."

"Will do old friend." Jacob low-fived the turians hand before breaking off with the snap of his fingers. Garrus just stuck to the basics.

"Well, I should get going."

Jacob's eyes twinkled with a slight longing. "You sure. I could hook you up?" He referenced to a starring role in one of his productions, for the umpteenth time in their friendship.

"Yeah…" He stole a glance of Miranda smearing lotion on her bare skin almost as if in slow motion; deliberately for him. "I'm sure."

Garrus left the penthouse, to return to his own, dark, empty suite on the Citadel looking over the Presidium. With a single bag of take-out accompanying his hand he unlocked the door to only be rooted in his tracks by a familiar smell. Garrus immediately dropped his food which bounced in grief within the plastic bag as it hit the floor. "Shepard," he rasped as he prudently reached for his sniper rifle. "I know you're in here, I can smell your foul…" His words were ended by the sharp prick of a needle to his neck.

Shepard had been like a spider, pressed on the ceiling; only held by her stretched out limbs. The needle had been in her mouth, moments before she opened the door. Garrus swung instinctively in his defense but his limbs were lazy like jelly. His body quickly took to the ground with a hard thud. Shepard flipped down like an expert trapeze artist, wielding the empty needle in her mouth.

"Hi Garrus!" She whispered with giddy. "Let's get you inside, big man."

It was no easy task but she finally got his body in the apartment, closing the door behind him. Garrus was face down on the floor. His eyes were open, pupils dilated to the fullest. Shepard turned on the lights as if she had been living in his apartment for a long time.

Turning him over so that she was the only thing he could see, she spoke. "So… did you miss me?"

Garrus could feel his heart racing, or dropping. His skin prickled against the bone, giving him a spongy, mushy, spiky feel. His body trembled uncontrollably to add to the discomfort. The many different feelings rolling through his body distracted him from the question.

With the turian completely subdued, Shepard climbed on top of him. Each touch felt like a his skin was foaming away. "Aaaah… what… what did you… do to me… woman?" He managed to say.

Shepard chuckled at his demise. "Just gave you a little halix."

"I… think you… gave me too much!" Garrus' breath was hitched.

"No, that's just the tainted eezo I mixed with it." She could barely contain her laughter.

"Fuck… you mixed… eezo with it?" Garrus' voice almost sound frightened of the new revelation.

This got Shepard's goat even more. "Yeah," she lowered herself down on to his body. His skin was dozens of times more sensitive than he ever thought was possible. Shepard knew the effects well, sticking her nails into his thick skin for a response.

"Aaaah." Garrus arched his back in an attempt to roll over, to regain any control over his body, but there was none to be had. Shepard had all the control and she wanted him to see that.

"I have to say, you're taking this rather well… Better than I anticipated!"

"Oh fuck… fuck… fuck… fuck…!" Garrus sang under his fear-ridden breath.

Shepard continued to cackle. "Yeah about that… What you did to me was not very nice…" She drove her digits up and down the side of his face, painstakingly slow. Garrus attempted to grit his teeth, but even that didn't help. Her fingers were like electric wands jolting millions of volts through his body.

"So I thought I would return the favor."

Garrus' eyes widened as best they could with shock. He could barely move his body and the room was growing smaller; melting away at the same instant.

"This time I'm going to fuck you," Shepard interrupted her own speech to remove her shirt and pants. She was not wearing any underwear, suggesting that she had this planned down to a T. "Kind of like how you fucked me." She continued with shards of ice in her tone. Once she was naked, she proceeded to roughly undress the turian. He was only wearing his civis.

Each motion burned and melted like pouring lemon juice into a deep wound and then pouring baking soda into it. It was one of the most unpleasant feelings Garrus had ever felt, and he was powerless to stop it. Shepard's hands attacked the clasps on his pants. Once he was relieved of the minuscule barriers, her real fun would begin. Leaning over his ear canal one last time she added, "Oh yeah, this is gonna hurt like hell!"


	3. Ice Cold Control

**Notes by Author**: Thank you for all the reviews, they are very encouraging. This is a really short chapter, I may expand on it a little. Just let me know what you think, peace!

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Ice Cold Control

Jolts of electricity like flaming swords ran through the turian's veins, building up in the center of his chest before exploding in a wave of psychotropic chaos. Layers of additional pain mingling with hints of pleasure shadowed each motion of Shepard's body.

Her toned stomach rocked with her hips as she slowly yet pleasurably rode Garrus. Sweat licked her busy skin and perky breast. Periodically she would rev up the pace, knowing that it hurt her captive. Garrus could only wince at the horrible feeling. He was trapped within himself, at the same time he was released into the atmosphere, forced to look down upon himself. His body being violated from afar, yet so close; all he wanted to do was scream but Shepard's echo was too loud.

She collapsed into him, still working her hips around his member. Her moan stung his ear canals as if acid had been poured into them. Placing her hand on his face, it felt like lava meeting electricity. The look of fear in his eyes before she cast his head to the side was priceless. Shepard sat back up, gyrating her hips with heated focus and determination; as if she was trying to break his cock off at the hilt.

"Aaaaah… Shepard… for spirit's sake…" A white pulse of light was railroading his thoughts. Agony ravaged his skin, his fringe was on fire. Garrus could feel the climax of his torture nearing its end.

Shepard pulled the very fiber of his being out of him; tossing it to the atmosphere to expand and contract in unison. She knew that when he finished, the torment he would feel would be homicidal.

"Mmm… are you close, Garrus?" She teased with a rhetorical question.

Her words were gibberish in his ears. Sound disappeared, only ropes of pain lashing him open from the inside. Shepard sped up even more, grabbing his carapace for support. Sweat running off her back, an amplified whimper ran from her, threatening to pull the building orgasm from her as well. She fought the internal battle to maintain control because seeing Garrus' end justified her means.

She slowed her motions down to a hypnotic thrust, glancing down at Garrus' icy blue eyes. With his mandibles finally spread… his back jerked into an arch. His eyes shut, sealing the buildup of liquid anguish. Suddenly and as violent as she had ever seen, Garrus' talons instinctively grasped her hips—turning himself deeper into her.

Blood ran from the wounds morphing to pleasure within Shepard's being. "Uh… Garrus!"

White light filled his head, his skin peeled back, flames consuming his limbs and his fringe; with a single thrust it was like giving birth. Shepard felt his hot seed burst into her in several large pulses of defeat. She too found her release behind clinching fist and convulsing flesh. After several long moments spanning eons, Garrus released his captor to allow gravity to pull them apart.

Shepard looked down at his face. His mandibles quivered as his eyes reopened. A single tear traced down from one of his blue orbs as his lungs desperately clawed for air. Turians didn't generally cry, so that tear was an epic victory for Shepard. She fell away from him, rolling onto her back to recover from the most indescribable feeling of her life.

Once her breath leveled, she sat up to recover her clothes. Garrus still lied on the marbled floor, breathing profusely. After getting clothed, Shepard dug through his armor to retrieve his credit chit.

"Mmm, Garrus… you are without a doubt…," crawling back over his body which seemed to have shrunken in the large space. "The most incredible bitch I've ever fucked."

Garrus was on his back, his erect member refusing to retreat. Shepard felt it touching her belly. She grabbed his cock, giving it a nice squeeze. Garrus groaned at the shockwaves of razorblades that ripped through his groin.

"Well, looks like I've got some shopping to do." releasing him to put the chit in her pocket before continuing. "I know you won't mind."

Her statement was left open for his input but there was nothing but fiery—blissful static on his end. His body still trembled from the orgasmic explosion.

"Of course not." She answered. "Enjoy your trip, my Archangel." She whispered; talking to his head. Then she dipped down, planting a sincere kiss on his mouth plates, erupting sparks from him once again. Garrus moaned at the sensation. A moan escaped Shepard's mouth as well. This particular moment could've easily been mistaken for a something more… loving.

Finally breaking from what she would call a farewell, Shepard got up to press for the exit when Garrus sniper rifle snipped her vision. "Hmm, I think I'll take this too. A girl's got to protect herself." She mused aloud.

After picking up the weapon, she left the apartment to freshen up and get some rest. Later she would be hitting every store that caught her hungry green eyes. Her nights would end at the recently remodeled _Dark_ _Star_ _Lounge_; the biggest night club slash casino in the district.


	4. Raging Inferno

**Notes by Author**: First off, I would like to thank everyone for their reviews. Secondly I want to warn you: Graphic rape scene in this chapter.

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Shepard whirled around via hypnotic rhythm of the club music. Her tight, low cut dress that left nothing to the imagination spun with her. Catching her free hand—the other holding an empty glass, her 'man for the moment,' Conrad replenished the emptiness with full glass of expensive alcohol.

With the money spent, Shepard had no shame flaunting her goods for the goods. This guy, Conrad, was trying too hard. Every time she emptied her cup, he was there to fill it back up. He didn't care what the cost.

"Thanks." She chirped with a seductive giggle. Her eyes left a trail of bread crumbs leading to sex, but that was all part of her game plan.

"Uh… sure." Conrad was like a vorcha in heat. If he wiped the drool from his brain then maybe he could see that she was playing him.

Shepard threw back the asari ale like a krogan drinking a liquefied turian. Conrad relieved her of the empty glass. "Another." She ordered, handing him the second cup.

Conrad may have been trying to put the pieces together until Shepard winked at him. While moving her body to the music she added, "Meet me in VIP?" Her eyes were still full of promise before she directed his attention to the lower section.

The VIP was sectioned off into smaller rooms that gave horny couples the privacy they needed to work out their frustrations. Conrad nearly dropped the glasses as the calculation in his head completed. With a stupefied nod that would have put a horse to shame, Conrad spun around to order another drink. Shepard faded into the crowd, disappearing down the rounded steps that led to the VIP.

She didn't have to do much to get past the guard. Once she chose a room, she awaited somewhat impatiently for the desperate loser's return.

Conrad got word from the guard to which room Shepard awaited in. With a bottle of pristine turian wine; a rare breed that could be consumed by humans, and two glasses, he made his way to the room. The vestibule was long and rounded like a tunnel made by a mole. Erotic noises along with alcohol drowned the atmosphere. Conrad could feel his little bulge spanning to attention.

As he turned the corner as sharp blow ripped the wind right out of his lungs. His vision blurred to static and the bottle was removed from his hand along with the glasses. He sunk to the floor, succumbing to the immense pain. His head met the ground along with the rest of his body; a tall shadow floating past.

Shepard waited with her patients just about spent. Her leg sat with one over the other in a tom-boyish manner. Swinging one foot about, carelessly, she lulled her head back to drown in the boozy haze. Suddenly the sound of heavy footsteps pierced her thoughts, though her eyes remained closed.

"About time, thought you were going to have me waiting forever."

POP! The cork shot across the room. Whispering fizz ran from the bottle before one of the cups caught it along with the sweet, tangy liquid. The glass was handed to her and she took it with blind eyes.

Shepard threw back the shot. "Mmm… wow that's good."

The heavy presence ghosted behind her where she sat; placing the bottle down on a small table next to the loveseat. Rough, three clawed hands suddenly sat on her, massaging her shoulders ever so gently.

She moaned again with only remnants of awareness to guide her. "Took you long enough. Thought I was going to have call in a search party for a minute."

"Oh that won't be necessary." The voice rasped next to her ear.

Shepard's eyes enlarged with astonishment. "Garrus…!" She went to move but her body was forced in its current position by his talons. Breathing heavy with acceptance she continued, "Didn't expect you here."

"How does that human saying go…? 'You should expect the unexpected?'" Garrus kept his talons near her neck, still gliding up and down her soft, slightly moist skin.

"Yeah." Shepard drunkenly uttered. Countenancing her head back as if daring him to act. "You're definitely unexpected!"

The two of them soaked in the ambiance mellowed rhythm, sipping on the turian wine. Garrus continued to massage her; his face so close to her delicious neck that he had to battle himself to refrain from driving his tongue up her skin.

"Shepard?"

"Garrus?" she replied with yearning.

"Let's play a game… Twenty-one questions I believe it's called?"

"One of my favorites," she purred in response. Garrus filled her cup up again before fixing himself another shot as well.

She stood up as another song forced her body to the beat. Placing the glass down after a sip, she exclaimed, "Ooo, I love this song!" She snatched Garrus by the wrist, encouraging and or forcing him to join her.

Garrus almost spilled his drink. Sitting it down quickly, he allied with her body, mimicking her movements.

After a moment Shepard spoke, "I'll go first," referring to the game. "How did you find me so fast?"

Garrus whirled her around before bringing her back to him. "I wouldn't call four days fast."

Shepard's painted grin sliced his ego. The drug she had given him left Garrus immobilized for four days. When he had finally came to, he nearly died of dehydration. His skin still had the uncomfortable feeling of sponge and needles.

"Well you still found me. How'd you know I was here?" Shepard continued.

"I… followed your stench."

Shepard giggled; their bodies still slaves of the beat. "I know you're not talking about the perfume I'm wearing, after all I borrowed it from your mom."

Garrus froze, mandibles tight against his face, eyes fuming. "Don't you ever talk about my mother again, you hear me?" An audible growl escaped his throat, promising a deadly reaction.

His demeanor took her by surprise; almost frightening her. With an elevated heart rate she replied cautiously, "Okay, geez Mr. Sensitive." Awkward silence grew between them. "I'll just talk about your daddy then." She suddenly proclaimed in an attempt to melt the glacier of shame.

Garrus shot her another fiery gaze of 'I'm going to rip you apart' before refusing to look at her.

Long seconds of silence only occupied by seductive music filled the time that passed between them. Shepard swallowed her pride as the severity of her previous statements finally sunk in deep. She dared to close the distance between them. "Hey, relax, I was only kidding."

Garrus had return to the bottle almost disconnecting from the scene entirely. "Come on Garrus…" She pleaded. After downing two more cups he finally glanced at her. With sincerity written all over her face she spoke as if treading on thin ice. "Come on, let's continue playing. I'll let you go twice in a row if it makes you feel better?"

He took some long hard breaths before giving her a response. "This club is pretty expensive… who did you have to fuck to get in here?" He spoke with fire; his sub vocals were still screaming rage for her previous insults.

Shepard wanted to say him, but she opted on caution instead. "I found this lonely credit chit and decided it needed some spending since its previous owner wasn't doing it justice."

"Hm…" Garrus stalked the ground without aim. "That guy you were with, is he your… boyfriend?"

Shepard snorted, "Who Conrad? He was merely my personal bar tender, until you came along." She winked once he finally looked at her.

Garrus looked away again. He returned to the loveseat where Shepard had sat, sipping on the wine. Shepard continued to dance. "My turn," she broke the silence again. "Speaking of Conrad, what did you do to him?" Not that she cared for the man, but curiosity got the best of her most times.

"The same thing I do to anyone else that pisses me off, Shepard." Garrus eyed her with promise before purposelessly scoping his cup. "Where's my car?" He spoke as if he were piling up the evidence against her so he'd have more than enough reason to whip her ass.

"Destroyed." Shepard stated blatantly.

"Really?"

"Yeah, funny story; I was driving along, mining my own business when out of the blue another car cuts me off, so I follow the bitch to flick them off. When I do, the driver rolls down his window, and would you believe the driver was a krogan. He looked young too." Garrus remained in his seat while Shepard danced and spoke at the same time. "Anyway, the bastard shouted at me so I shouted back. Then he threw a bottle of ryncol at me."

Garrus frowned.

"Can you believe that? Lit the bitch up." She spun before finishing her story. "With the hood on fire I had to abandon ship, you dig?"

Garrus wasn't much for human slang, but he comprehended. Then he lingered on a response. "Interesting."

"I'll say, fucking krogan!" Shepard suggested a refill. Garrus tipped his head in the direction of the bottle as if to say, "Do it yourself."

Shepard choked back the urge to roll her eyes. Instead she filled her cup. After a sip she returned to the game. "So, my turn…," She upped the stakes. "Did you like it when I fucked you?" specifically referencing to the night she drugged him.

Garrus finally looked at her. With his mandibles slightly quivering he replied, "Mmm, can't say that I recall… being so doped up."

"Well that's a shame," Shepard sang as a movie of their escapade from four days ago played in her head.

Garrus poured the last of the wine before taking his turn. "Where's my rifle?" He drank slowly with anticipation on her next response.

Shepard kept him in suspense as she grinded to the music. Her body moved like silk. "Hmm… rifle, rifle," she slowed almost to a halt as she pretended to think. "Nope, sorry, don't recall." She teased, knowing damn well where his prized possession was.

Garrus threw back the last drink before slamming the cup down. "Shepard don't fuck with me."

"Ooo, 'Don't fuck with you,' someone's still in a bad mood!" With the turian wine finally hitting her head, all rationale was tossed out the window.

Garrus stood up with fire. He stormed over to her, grabbing her to still her motions. "I'm warning you Shepard. Now tell me where it is?"

She giggled before responding in a suggestive manner. "I might know if you get some more alcohol."

He jerked her arm, pulling her body closer with his grip on her wrist amplified. "No! You're going to tell me where it is or I'm going to beat the answer out of you."

"You're hurting me, Garrus." She tried to pull away.

He went to grab her throat when she up-chucked him, clocking his mandible. Garrus loosened his hold, slightly stunned by the blow. A primal growl erupted from his vocals as Shepard's veins filled with adrenalin. Garrus pounced at her swinging his fist in short controlled bursts.

She moved to his beat, back-stepping as best she could but she was unmistakably drunk. Garrus hadn't drunk nearly enough to even get a buzz, but the remnants of tainted eezo and hallex traced his blood. He clearly had the upper hand, dealing blow after blow before finding an opening. Garrus landed a stabbing punch to her stomach. When she broke her form, he snatched her by her hair to interrogate her some more.

"My sniper rifle?"

Shepard breathed desperately. "Fuck you." She spat.

He hurled her over the furniture. She landed with a hard thud. Garrus chased her path quickly. Shepard bounced up awkwardly. She nabbed the empty bottle as Garrus sealed the distance between them. Swinging the bottle at him, he had to block it with both of his forearms. Glass shattered against his plated skin and rained down on the floor. Then he swung his fist near her face.

Shepard ducked and weaved until she was able to catch a fist. She upper-cutted him in the jaw. Garrus shook off the blow, backhanding her against the wall.

"Uh!" she winced at the pain; the room spinning against her will.

Garrus knew this wasn't a fair fight but he was still pissed at her for talking about his mom. Shepard tried to recover quickly but it was not fast enough. He steadied her body upright only to knee her in the gut.

Shepard fell to her knees in response. Gasping for air, she was pulled back up against the wall with Garrus' talons around her neck. Her head swayed from side to side with drunkenness.

"Where's my gun Shepard?"

"I don't know," she spoke on heavy, desperate breaths. "Did you check up your ass?" He slammed her skull against the wall. Then it took Shepard another minute to recover. "Did you check up your mom's ass?" she finally spat, still disoriented.

Garrus' blood boiled. He drew his fist back, clocking her in the face, almost as hard as he could. Blood spurted out onto the wall before he released her. She fell to the ground, barely able to catch herself. Garrus kicked her harshly in the side, possibly breaking ribs. Shepard's body bounced with the blow as she let out a whimper. Then he grabbed her up only to toss her over the toppled furniture again. She landed hard in the center of the room.

Desperately she tried to crawl away with shaky hands but every move felt like fire. Blood ran from her mouth and nose. Her eyes were red and watery. Garrus didn't realize how bad he had hurt her. He stalked her beaten form, staring at her ass that was now exposed in her current position.

His talons attacked the clasps of his pants while his groin-plates shifted apart. Once he was exposed, he grabbed Shepard by the leg and pulled her closer to him. She was still in the process of trying to crawl away.

"No," she murmured with blurred vision that faded in and out. She tried to turn over on her back but a sharp stabbing pain shot her in the ribs. Plus, Garrus' added weight denied her any such action.

He pinned her with his forearm while pulling her dress up even further. Then he ripped off the panties with angered finesse. Discarding fabric, he adjusted his erect shaft near the entrance of her bottom. Shepard moaned loudly, not fully understanding what was about to happen.

"Let's check up your ass, shall we?" he rasped in a vicious manner as his breathed heavily.

With no lubrication, Garrus rammed himself into her forbidden entrance. Shepard, now realizing what was going on, let out a blood curdling scream that was only muffled by Garrus' hand. He forced himself deeper into her, tearing the inner walls of her ass. Shepard struggled against the searing pain; her nails running against the hard floor with muffled screams.

He thrust harder even though it was hurting him. "Uh, you… fucking bitch…!" his lower half moved up and down at a steady rhythm. Finally removing his hand from her mouth, he yanked her by the hair for more interrogation. "Where… is it Shepard?"

Shepard tried to crawl away with tears streaming down her eyes. Garrus grabbed one of her arms and twisted it around her back like he would do a prisoner, back in his C-Sec days. "Tell… me… where… it is… uh, Shepard!"

The ecstasy and pain he felt, pulled him all the way down on top of Shepard. He raped her for several song lengths before finally finding his release. Filling her with his steamy seed, it burned the torn walls of her ass. He grabbed her head back harshly. "Where… is it?" his heart racing a million miles per hour, and sweat dripping from his forehead onto her back.

With the last of her strength, Shepard spoke. "I… sold… it." Her words were shaky and barely audible.

"To who…?" Garrus waited for an answer while still inside her. "Who?" He jerked her head harder.

She yelped in a low tone as the room continued to spin even faster than she could stand. "M… merchant…" she vaguely uttered.

"Which… merchant?" Garrus still grinded in her slowly, savoring the last of his pleasure.

"Quarian." Shepard finally answered. Then her world darkened, sound died, feeling faded to nothing; Garrus released her hair. Her head fell back down to the floor with a loud plop.

Garrus finally pulled out of her, anger subsided. He rolled on to his back not thinking anything of the moment. After his groin-plates sealed he spoke, "Get up."

There was no response.

"Shepard?" Garrus glanced over at her with clear eyes. Her dress was torn and a small stream of blood and turian semen ran from between her ass cheeks. "Shepard…?" Garrus maneuvered to check her pulse.

His thicker skin denied him the results. Not able to feel a pulse he turned her over to see if she was breathing. Her breaths were faint, almost nonexistent. "Shepard!" Garrus began to panic. "Shepard!" He lifted her top half upward at an angle. Cradling her in his arms, her face bruised and bloodied; the severity of the situation landed on him hard. It was as if a nuke had dropped on him.

"Shepard!" he begged. "Shepard… Shepard…! Oh fuck!"


	5. Chapter 5

Notes by Author: Hello fans, thanks for all the reviews. I really enjoy reading the feedback. Nothing too graphic on this chapter so enjoy!

Update: I revised it a little, fixed a lot of grammer errors, sorry about that.

* * *

The distinct smell of antiseptics shocked Shepard back to life. Her body rose at a quickening pace with a hint of adrenalin while her vision returned to her on broken wings. Blinking profusely she began to eye her surroundings. Plain walls and flooring, and small metal tables were the main decor. A sink sat off in the distance, near a back room that was obviously a bathroom.

She went to move her legs only to feel a searing pain in her lower abdomen. "Uh…" wincing at the pain, the front door suddenly opened.

"Ah, you're awake." Shepard stared at the friendly smooth face that spoke in a Russian accent. The human doctor with red hair cut short and piercing brown eyes continued. "It's a good thing that turian got you here when he did…"

"What." Shepard finally rasped. Her throat was a desert. "Water."

The doctor marched over to a stand that sat next to her bed. There was a cup of water resting there. Handing her the drink, she sat on a small part of the bed. The doctor took Shepard's vitals while she sipped the cold liquid.

"Ah," Shepard sang, placing the cup down on the table.

"My name is Doctor Michel, can I ask what yours is?"

Shepard looked away from her. "Shepard." She finally replied in a low defeated tone.

The doctor's face morphed from compassionate to serious. "Do you know why you're here?"

Shepard refused to make eye contact, looking down at her blanket instead.

Dr. Michel placed a warm hand on her shoulder. "You were raped."

Shepard's only response was that her breathing hitched.

"The turian that brought you in said that he found you in one of the private rooms of the VIP, in _Dark Star Lounge_."

"Turian?" Shepard finally spoke.

"Yes… he's a good friend of mine, Garrus is his name."

Shepard's blood froze when she heard that name. Her body stiffened. "Garrus." She uttered.

"Yes, he looked pretty unnerved. I guess he was really worried about you." The doctor began to massage the tenseness out of Shepard. "Don't worry, Garrus is ex-C-Sec, he'll find out who did this and… bring them to justice." She treaded softly with her words.

"Do you remember anything?" Dr. Michel probed with caution.

"Oh yeah, I remember everything!" was what Shepard wanted to say but instead she replied by shaking her head. "No… not really."

Dr. Michel ran her fingers across her hair. "Okay, you should get some more sleep, and whenever you're ready to talk, I'll be right here."

Shepard didn't say anything. A winter storm of revenge was brewing in her mind. She lied back down on the soft gurney, sealing her eyes to the world.

#

Covered in the stench of booze, Garrus sat at his mini bar wallowing in the haze of alcohol. He'd been up all night trying to erase what he'd done to Shepard. Why? Why did he care so much? After all he hated her. She poisoned him, violated his body, stole his money, and to top it all off she took the weapon that meant more to him than anything in this fucked up galaxy.

Shepard was such a pain in his ass; popping up out of nowhere like a Fornax ad on the extranet. _Who the hell does she think she is? She deserved it… that bitch deserved it. I mean, she was asking for it…! Wearing that skimpy outfit that she bought using my credit chit! She's a whore, nothing but a whore!_ _Why do you think that every time you fight her, it always ends in a fuck-fest? _

Garrus managed to sit back in his stool, the ranting still going erratic in his head. _You hate her… so what you did to her was a good thing. Now she'll fear you. Now she knows why you don't fuck with The Archangel_. _She wanted it… yeah she did._

Images of Shepard's body, crumpled and beaten flashed into his mind. Blood running from her mouth and nose, tears pouring from her eyes… _Stop Garrus, please stop_! His leg lands another blow to her side. More blood runs from her mouth.

POP! The glass in his and shattered, blue tears of blood fell onto the counter top. Garrus glanced down at the damage to his flesh with a dead eyes and loud silence. Like changing the channel he suddenly grabbed the bottle, chugging its contents until the bottle was empty. Then he reached behind the counter, helping himself to another one.

You hate her! Shepard's a dumb bitch. She's a… oh that body! She had curves on her that Garrus could lose himself in for days. _And that mouth around my cock_…. The image played in his mind. _Oh what female humans can do with their mouths_! His groin-plates began to part. He felt his hand gliding down to his lower region. _Spirits_! A visual of him on his back, in a bed made of silk popped into his head. Shepard was on top, her lower half wrapped in silk sheets. Sweat glistened skin mashing down on his plates. His body tensed at the sight of her back arching, her damp hair a mess, her eyes sealed to the world…. Her moans grew louder; Garrus thrust deeper in to her core.

_Stop Garrus, please don't_! His breath was labored and his legs were numb. White noise was attempting to overrun his mind. _You're hurting me Garrus!_ With Shepard's body still on top of him, he drills into her at a much faster pace in an attempt to drown out her voice. _Garrus please!_ His hand shoots to her head, snatching her hair, he pulls her head up. As he looks upon her face Garrus sees that Shepard's tears have turned to blood. It pours from her nose like the water from the fountains on the Presidium. Red runs from her ears and mouth.

Still thrusting in to her—now the sheets are red with her blood. She leans forward, forcing him to make eye contact despite his slow retreat. Her palms press against his carapace, and they too are red with blood. _Garrus, you're hurting me! _The voice is louder.

"Fuck!" The bottle of triple filtered salarian brandy shattered against the mirrored wall behind the bar. Glass rained down on the floor, bringing Garrus back into reality. Whirl winds of air ran in and out of Garrus' lungs. He slammed his head into his palms as the weight of his weariness and disorientation pulled him down. Soon he would drown within himself; all faces, voices, and names, would dissipate. All accept one… Shepard!


	6. The Set Up

**Notes by Author**: Hello my fans, thank you for the reviews as always, I'm not going to lie, I've been struggling with the plot. I will try to warn you guys in the future if anything extremely graphic unfolds. Enjoy!

* * *

Dr. Michel reentered the room. Shepard was aimlessly flipping screens on the extranet. Clearing her throat to get Shepard's attention, she spoke, "I would recommend that you remain here for another day…"

"Haaah." Shepard objected with a heavy sigh of disapproval.

"But since you insist on leaving, I'm going to discharge you this afternoon. I'm also writing you a prescription for Perpaxalon. That will help with the swelling. And, I recommend that you do no strenuous activity for at least a full twenty four hours."

"Okay." Shepard replied in a zombie like state. She hated hospitals more than anything. Well… maybe she hated Garrus even more. He was going to pay for what he did!

Time seemed to inch by as Shepard waited for the clock to scream 1200 hours. She had watched every reality show in the galaxy—it seemed; to the point that she could recite their opening credits. She had braided her hair about five times, each time she made the braids smaller with the hopes of making the time go by.

#

Garrus eventually got up from his resting place which happened to be the bar, and threw himself into the shower. Cold water cascaded down his leather rough body. He let the water kiss his face. When he sealed his eyes all he could see was Shepard. Her frail body wincing in pain on a red floor, tears in her eyes slicing through the pinkish hue on her puffy cheeks.

His eyes popped open. Suddenly turning off the shower, he stood in blank silence with only the sound of his breath to accompany him. "My rifle." He finally said while staring at the metallic pane in front of him. It was as if he had to remind or encourage himself.

He stepped out of the shower, water dripping from his jagged angles. After drying off and dressing for the occasion, he decided to put something in his stomach that would keep it at bay. His stomach had been protesting since last night. Most of his will was dead to food, but Garrus' logic knew that he needed a clear head if he was going to get his weapon back. There was no telling if this quarian merchant still had his gun. It was a rare model; very expensive. The clearance on it was hell.

What if she was lying?

_No… no… no… no!_ Garrus shook his head to rid himself of that cursing thought. But… what if she… lied? Would she lie? She could have. Maybe I scared her into saying anything just to make the pain stop. My gun could be locked away in her apartment or something…?

_Apartment—Shepard… really? Those two words don't even go together. Shepard's broke. Why do you think she's always stealing things: Your credit chit, your contracts, your… diginity…? She's a bum. _Garrus' mind finally settled on the easiest conclusion. Moments later the buzzer rang announcing that his dextro cuisine was complete.

It took him a lot of strength to bring the fork to his mouth. Each bite tasted bitter. Shepard's whimpering continued in his head. Her bloody naked body was contorted into the fetal position on the floor in his head. Blood stained her buttocks and her inner thighs. Her back was to him… _Oh get over it all-ready! Shepard will be fine… she always is._

Finally leaving his apartment, Garrus pressed for 'the quarian' merchant. Finding a quarian merchant on the citadel was not what Garrus would consider a challenge. After all quarians were treated like second-class citizens, worse than humans. Quarians didn't own any stores on the Citadel. If one had a shop, he was simply customer service. It was possible that she could've sold it to just some random quarian on the street; possible but highly unlikely. Just being a quarian raised enough suspicion on the Citadel; let alone an armed one. You had to have a permit which was a pain in the ass to acquire; and that was per weapon. If your weapons had mods, that was a whole other pain in the ass.

Garrus' Black Widow was modded with a custom paint job that matched his clan markings. He spent two hours each day, cleaning his gun, taking apart each modification, studying every unique detail of his prized possession. He knew his gun better than he knew himself. So why did Shepard possess his thoughts, forcing his mind to replay the damage he had dealt her? He didn't even take her to a real hospital. It was a clinic that was run by someone he would consider a friend. Doctor Michel had been in trouble with the local thugs, so Garrus did a little house cleaning. As a show of gratitude, Doctor Michel gave him free medical supplies.

He felt bad about lying to his friend when he brought Shepard in; making up some bogus tale about how he found her in an alley. When he carried her in, the look on Doctor Michel's face… Garrus' stomach churned as the memories performed in his head. His diaphragm awoke in a sea of spasms; threating to make him puke while his vision went fuzzy. The look on the doctor's face when she saw Shepard…. He brushed past some people as he approached a hunting store—nearly falling over from the sudden contact. He managed to catch his footing.

"Excuse you!" Sharp voices like claws on a witches hand reached out.

Garrus grumbled out what the turian couple interpreted as a force apology. Entering the shop, he nearly stumbled again only to catch himself on the counter.

"You alright, sir?" the salarian clerk inquired.

Garrus braced himself against the wooden surface for a moment before standing back up on labored breaths. Clearing his throat he replied, "Yeah, I'm fine." His mandibles wobbled loosely.

"Can I help you with anything?" The clerk had to keep driving his eyes to meet Garrus'. His blood-alcohol level refused for him to make eye contact.

_Damn it, I shouldn't have drank so much_! He scolded himself before answering.

"Yes," his words were slurred. "Yes, perhaps you can—see I'm looking for a quarian merchant; weapon's dealer."

The salarian's eyes seemed to grow wider. "Quarian," He pointed as he spoke, "Yes, at the end of the district—to your left," putting his hand down to finish. "Name of the store he works in is called Modded Arms. You can't miss it."

Garrus pushed himself off the counter, leaving the store on legs that felt like Jell-O. He made his way down the strip, eventually to Modded Arms. Everything in his vision was on a sideways Ferris wheel. Upon entering the store there was a human customer arguing with a quarian merchant. It was something about a return and not having a purchase receipt. Garrus only caught snippets of the very interesting conversation—not! His patients was on E, taking a few deep breaths, he went to the kiosk to see if it was for sale.

The weapons' selection was vast and extensive. No weapon that popped up on the screen came with less than a page of info as well as a detailed picture that could be converted into a hologram.

"But I was just in here a month ago. I bought the LK-2 Sight Enhancement scope for my M-99 Saber. I didn't realize the weight of the scope was going to cut my draw speed down by .010th of a second… That's too much"

"So buy our Ultra Light material, it's only…"

"I don't want to buy Ultra Light. I just want my money back for the scope."

"No can do without a proof of purchase receipt."

The man slammed his hands down on the counter. "Oh my God, dude…!"

"Dude…? My name is not dude."

"It's a saying from Earth."

"Well this isn't Earth."

"Oh so now you're being a smart-ass?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"You know, I would like to see some management!"

"If you want to talk to management, you'll have to download a 'Company Contact' form. There are three different ones; the one you want is the BGZL 41189…"

Garrus cleared his throat, demanding the quarian's attention. He moved past the smaller human who _gladly_ stepped out of the way. Placing both of his hands on the counter he began. "Excuse me, but I hope you can help me out, see I'm looking for a rare-model gun, it's a…"

"Hey pal, can't you see I was here first. You gotta wait your turn!" the human barked, sizing Garrus up and down with his eyes.

The human was way out of his league. Garrus simply overlooked his condescending tone. Turning back to the merchant he continued. "It's a Black Widow, Model number…"

"What part of 'I was here first' did you not understand, or is your transmitter broken?"

"I'm sorry sir, but you've got to wait your turn…" the quarian began when his words were sliced off by Garrus jerked the human up by his collar.

He rammed his plated forehead into the human's face before discarding his unconscious frame like trash. The human's body hit several miscellaneous objects before meeting the ground. "Oh Keelah…" The clerk backed away from the desk slowly.

Garrus wasn't done yet. He whipped out a pistol, pointing it at the quarain's head. "Like I was saying…" He spat out a model number and the serial number like it was his own birthdate. Then he ran through the distinct modifications that would most likely ring a bell in the quarian's head.

"Hey look… um… I… I don't know anything about that gun."

Garrus could tell he was sweating through his bio suit. He could see the fear replacing the milky fog behind his face shield. The skimpy quarian was shaking as he stood rooted in place.

"Really?" Garrus responded snidely. "So a human girl having long red hair and green eyes didn't recently sale you a sniper rifle fitting that description?"

"Shit…" the quarian glanced away with suspicion that was nearly submerged in fear. "I'm… I'm… not allowed to disclose clientele information with just… anyone. Who are you anyway?" The quarian slapped on a brave façade, like a bringing a makeshift gun to a biotics' fight.

Garrus calmly walked around the counter.

"You can't come back here… oh Keelah!"

Still brandishing the weapon, he jabbed the barrel into the clerk's temple. Wrangling him harshly, "I'm going to ask you one more time," He slammed the quarian down near his private kiosk, suggestively, "A bitch with red hair and green eyes—came in here a couple of days ago and sold you a 'top of the line' sniper rifle with turian clan markings matching my face. Am I wrong?"

The clerk was pleading for his life. "Please… please don't… I can't tell you… please…"

Garrus would've interrogated him in a more professional manner; preferably before or after store hours, had he been sober.

"You're gonna tell me, or you're gonna die!"

The quarian was face down on the glass counter, his palms pressed against the glass, visibly shaken. "Okay… I'll tell you…" he whimpered.

Garrus eased up as the quarian slowly began to type on his kiosk. Within seconds the screen was coated with customer names, contact info, and purchases.

"Two days ago a female human matching your description came in here. She had that gun exact model… She sold it to us for 108,000 credits."

"A 108 thousand, that's it!" Garrus was insulted. The mods a lone cost him close to eighty thousand credits. Being a gift from his mother, Garrus looked up the cost of the gun out of curiosity one day and was shocked to see that it was well over two hundred thousand credits; three year's salary for a C-Sec police chief.

"You still have it?" Garrus had lowered the pistol but he held it suggestively.

The quarian's eyes only left the gun to look at the kiosk. "No… it was bought that same day."

Garrus squeezed the handle of the pistol with a jolt of frustration. "By who?"

The quarian stared at the gun. Then he cautiously looked at the enraged turian before him. "You're… not going to… hurt anyone are you…?" It was a foolish question that he realized a moment too late.

Garrus rushed him, jabbing the gun into his forehead. "Who?" his voice strained with desperation.

The quarian threw his hands up submissively. Broken please through soft but frightened whimpers escaped his mouth. "Please… okay… okay… please don't… oh Keelah!"

He stole glances at the kiosk encouraging Garrus to ease up once more. He did, allowing the frail quarian to retreat back onto his computer. His shaky hands fumbled over the hologram buttons. A name and contact info popped up. "N… Nassana Dantius."

Garrus' mandibles clapped to the side of his face. His sub-vocals were going mad with anger. The contorted feeling returned to the pit of his stomach. He knew Nassana. Every good merc and assassin did. She was a greedy paranoid bitch that had her own sister killed for money. She owned the Dantius Towers on Illium. Getting his gun back was not going to be easy. He wasn't expecting it to be; however, Nassana was not a name he wanted to hear. Why couldn't it have been Aria T'loak? At least with her Garrus could negotiate a deal to get his weapon back. It would've involved several months of servitude and humiliation on his behalf.

A customer entered the store. Garrus quickly retracted his weapon. The motion was clumsy and every bit of suspicious. The man froze in his steps, staring at the two of them like a deer in headlights.

No words were needed to be shared because the man's looks said it all. He motioned with fear toward the exit. Garrus made it easy for him; he stormed from around the counter, stepping over the unconscious human on the ground. The frightened man near the exit then noticed the man lying on the ground. He stepped sharply to the side as Garrus left the store.

Garrus stormed back to his apartment in order to plan his next move. Nassana? Out of all people, why did it have to be her? Nassana was a business woman; Garrus didn't expect her to be dealing with guns—only hired ones. Well she had her grubby little hands in everything else, so why the hell not? Still something about this was rubbing Garrus the wrong way.

#

Shepard flipped through her Fornax magazine on her omni tool while slurping down some good-old fashion noodles. She was high up in the maintenance level overlooking Garrus' pad. Her peripheral vision caught sight of the turian returning to his home.

DEE-DEE! A call came through on her omni tool. Activating her screen; Shepard's hawk eyes never left her prey. "Did he hurt you?"

The voice on the other end delayed in its response. "Not really… pointed a gun in my face before he slammed me down on the counter."

"I see…, asshole!" Shepard glared at Garrus' oblivious form.

"Don't worry ma'am, I put on quite a show; I think he's going for it." A guttural voice replied.

"We'll see." Shepard she simply replied.

"You need anything else, ma'am?"

"No thanks Kal Reegar, that will be all."

"Alright, take care."

"Keelah sa'lai." Shepard ended. Then speaking to Garrus, she hissed, "Vakarian, you're going down."


	7. Warm Memories Buried in Shallow Graves

**Notes by Author**: Thank you for all the support, I'm glad that you guys are enjoying this story. I wrote this because I was tired of reading all the ME-cliche fanfics where the characters are the same as in the game and blah blah blah...! I like going against the grain and I'm going to try and include as many characters from ME as I can (just as cameos)!

* * *

Garrus was in his apartment, plastered down on the couch with omni tool active on one arm, data pads barfing information on the Dantius Towers in the other hand. There was a coffee table in front of him that held his meticulous plan in plain sight. A box of steamy noodles and vegetables sat in the middle. Garrus would periodically fill his mouth with the spicy strings—eyes never breaking from his digital vomit of information. When something peculiar stained his mind, his mandibles did a small flexing number.

On the other side of the table, the marble lay hidden underneath the arsenal of weaponry. Garrus had machine guns, pistols, shotguns, omni blades, and his less than impressionable Mantis sniper rifle. Shepard swam through the small part of his brain every time he thought about his gun. Her warm body, like green tea and soft skin; this alien was supposed to repulse him, instead—drove him wild.

Shepard wasn't the first human he had been with. His mind ran back in time to an escapade he had with a human outside a night club a few years back. She was aggressive and drunk, wallowing on the side of the brick structure. She held a look of rage joined with maddened lust. Garrus blamed it on the alcohol; somehow finding his way back to her place, aggressively ridding their bodies of clothes—attacking each other's mouths like they were at war.

He ended up throwing her against the wall, taking her right there. Once it was over, they casually fixed themselves as if what had happened was nothing more than a momentary weakness. Garrus began to feel the familiar tingle in his groin as the steamy memory melted away. No, he didn't have a thing for humans—at least that's what he used to tell himself in his younger days, when he lived with his parents and sister.

The human he 'went down on' at the academy didn't count. They were cramped in a room together calibrating algorithms. The professor was gone and… something happened…. Next thing Garrus knew, he had her on the table, legs spread as wide as bird's wings and he was calibrating her algorithms… _Focus_! He forced the smirk to disappear.

BWOIP! His onmi tool sang. It was a message from that Liara chick. She had sent him some files on Shepard. Files, more like sentences resting in several files with a few pictures to make it look like valid information. _What a waste of money_. Garrus thought as he read the bits of information.

Garrus skimmed through the info, simultaneously reading up on Nassana and slurping noodles. His eyes lingered on a picture of Shepard, which drug his mind back to the feel of her body underneath his, the taste of her skin when she sweat, the sounds that she made when he… _Nassana_ _Dantius_! His mind screamed. Garrus exhaled before exiting out of Shepard's profile.

_Humans are gross_! Garrus' brain reiterated what the rest of his family and most of his kind had taught him. _If you want to fuck them, that's fine but don't go developing feelings for 'things' that think, just because they found a Prothean beacon they think that they should be entitled to a seat on the council. Remember these disgusting things killed your kind_. For a second, Garrus sounded like his father—minus the 'fucking' part.

Garrus shook his head to rid his mind of the thoughts that had been accepted into his subconscious. Refocusing for the untempt time; he looked back at the data pads. A while later Garrus had found his ticket in. A rumor that an assassin would be targeting her caused Nassana to double—to triple up on security. She was hiring almost anyone with a gun. Her stupidity—I mean paranoia was exactly what Garrus needed.

He submitted a bogus 'resume' to her company. It didn't take long to get a response: Be on Illium, day-six at 1400 hours, Dantius Tower-two. The first one was under construction. There were more detailed instructions that Garrus read thoroughly before cleaning up. A small breath of relief spelled a tiny victory.

Yet, a part of him held seeds of doubt. If Shepard was lying about this, he would have traveled all the way to Illium for nothing, wasting more money and time… _Stop_! Garrus ran his talons over his fringe. _I shouldn't have done that to her_. The greater part of his mind finally stated.

_What! She's a human, who cares. If your turian buddies found out about what you had done, you would be declared a hero; probably the next Primark. How many times does it have to be said, human females are just things to have fun with. For spirit's sake it's in their culture. You've seen their vids… the females are just sex objects._

Garrus sighed as he turned off the data pads. Retiring to his bedroom, he stared at the large bed—rooted in the doorway. He visualized Shepard's naked body only covered by a single silk sheet wrapped partially around her body, leaving very little to the imagination. A devilish smile dressed her face in the darkness as Garrus approached. Then it hit him, he had never made love… I mean had sex with her in his bed. He felt a smile swim across his face as he walked closer to the bed.

Falling down into its velvety softness, Garrus decided that before he left, he would check in on Shepard and Doctor Michel.

#

Staring up at the ceiling on her makeshift bed, Shepard's mind ran through all the violent things she was going to do to that disgusting turian: Rip out his guts with a meat hook, chop off his legs and eat the marrow out of his bones, Pour acid into his ears, cut his penis off and make him eat it…. Her mind lingered there for a moment.

At first, her heart was racing with the twisted thoughts but now… she couldn't explain what this moment was, weakness perhaps. Garrus' body was so alien, yet the sharp jagged angles spelled danger. His voice melted the ice within her. His eyes saw past her façades. She began to wonder if he found her attractive, or was he just fucking her because she fucked him?

As dark as the memory at the Dark Star Lounge was, she couldn't help but find some amusement when she asked him how he knew she was there.

"I followed your stench!" was his reply.

Shepard smiled through the small tears that were threatening to weld up in her eyes. Was she about to cry for all the pain Garrus had caused, or was it because she was… missing him? _Pain, it was definitely pain_. She told herself. Throughout her life, no one had told her that they loved her, or she was pretty. Every person who has ever been in her life left—excluding a very small group of friends, but they didn't keep in contact that often. She had been abused by those who were supposed to protect her. Shepard had never had a place she called home. She often wandered the streets late at night just looking for someone to talk to.

With Garrus; they always seemed to just collide. A few times she followed him, but that was just to rob him of his contracts, but on the other occasions, it seemed that fate just kept throwing them at one-another. Why? And why did all their meetings end in a fight-fuck fest? Shepard rubbed her scalp as if the answer were buried in there somewhere. _Do I even enjoy sex or do I just do it because I feel numb inside? Okay girlfriend, slow down. That's enough psychology for one damn night_. Shepard exhaled deeply, allowing sleep to creep over her fit body. She kept one hand under her shirt, resting on the bare skin—imagining the hand belonged to Garrus as sleep pulled her under its spell.


	8. A Plan That's Not Carefully Planned Out

Garrus' alarm went off. He got up, did his morning routine and was out of his apartment. Sending Doctor Michel a message, he headed to the docking bay to ready his ship. Once on his ship, he soaked in the procedures of maintenance checks; digging through complex wiring in the main battery. Then it was off to the engine room to inspect the algorithms of the drive core. He inspected his vents and the escape pods. By the time Doctor Michel pinged him back, several hours had past.

**Incoming Message:** Dr. Michel ID# 8154

Hello, I'm sorry it took me so long to respond. The woman you dropped off was doing much better after I had spent some time with her. I released her yesterday at noon. If you see her again, tell her that she needs to come by the clinic, it's imperative that I speak with her.

Garrus eyed the message suspiciously. In his heart he wanted to know more, but he knew better than to ask: Doctor-patient confidentiality. He settled for the churning in his stomach. What could possibly be wrong with her? Maybe she forgot her medicine…? No It'd have to be something more serious.

His thoughts were disrupted as the test-alarm on the emergency air vents sounded. After finishing the last of his diagnostics, Garrus concluded that his ship was ready for takeoff. After last minute preparations, he started up the engines and was headed for Illium.

Garrus activated his omni tool. He had run a tracker on the shipping ID number for his gun. It was shipped off of the Citadel yesterday and should arrive on Illium a day ago at 0900. From there it would be delivered to Dantius Tower-Two, to a Th'x Thee. If he could find this Th'x Thee without raising any suspicion, and somehow try to get his weapon back with minimal bloodshed, that would be one for the books.

He had his omni tool set to alert him of any changes with the shipping ID. Garrus used a combination of FTL speed and the relays to make his flight a mere three hours.

* * *

Arriving on Illium, Garrus was charged an arm and a leg. The docks on Illium were small, so the high fees helped them to weed out undesirables: People who had less money to spend usually were a waste of time, since Illium was geared toward prominent business people. He made it to the Dantius Tower in the allotted time—meeting with a batarian named Stolonvin. Stolonvin ushered Garrus to his office, high up in the second Tower. Breezing through the pleasantries, he got straight down to business.

"Take a seat, Mr. Lyrach Eshi." The batarian spoke with a frown tugging at the tips of his face.

Garrus could have come up with a better turian sounding name if he had more time. Lyrach steered toward quarian or salarian.

Clearing his throat he spoke, "I was an orphan back on Caloe—raised mostly by quarians."

"Yes… I see. You do find a large concentration of those suit-rats on Caloe, and I don't know why?"

"The planet was originally a prison camp during the Krogan Rebellions. The atmosphere was too arid and moist for my people, so the Primark of that time gave it to the quarians."

"Should've just blown it up." The batarian growled as his eyes ran through 'Lyrach's resume. "You've got impressive credentials, turian—can definitely use you on our team."

"What exactly will I be doing?" Garrus questioned as he sat back in his seat, crossing one leg over the other.

There were no red flags in Lyrach's profile. He had the same build of credentials that any other successful merc for hire had. In fact, 'Lyrach' could have easily been Nassana's assassin and this batarain was none the wiser to the possiblity.

The measure of Stolonvin's incompetence was the fact that his mind probably settled on the minuscule details of a squeaky clean merc rep that was not a native of Illium. "You'll be working as one of Nassan Dantius' personal body guards. Basically," He took a deep breath wanting to give Garrus the rundown as quickly as possible—having done several interviews already. "Nassana is not the easiest person to work for…."

Garrus stared at him blankly. Lurking deep behind his blue orbs, Garrus was thinking that Nassana could thank this idiot, Stolonvin for assuring that she be a walking corpse.

"Over the years, she's made a lot of enemies, and rumor has it that a group of assassins have been hired to take her out; they were probably by some disgruntled employees… She has a reputation for…, well let's just say most of her employees don't think much of her."

"So when do I start?" Garrus inquired eagerly.

"Now… you'll be with team Alpha, guarding just outside of Nassana's office, and catering to any of her needs."

The batarian activated his omni tool. "Pepa?"

A young, feminine voice broke through the light static. "Yes Stolonvin. I gotta new hire, give him the grand tour. He'll be working with us so make sure he gets the Class-2 access codes."

"Allllrighty." She chimed.

Stolonvin filled the time with small talk about the Dantius Towers, his time working with Nassana, what he did after work, and he ran through the highlights on Illium.

Before long, the door whooshed open to reveal a petite female human with short charcoal hair, done in a Mohawk. Her nose and lip was pierced and her features were that of an adolescent. Garrus was taken aback by her appearance. Her small frame was encompassed in body armor that looked like it was swallowing her up whole. She had a machine gun attach to her side and a shot gun on her back.

"Is this him," Pepa questioned as she neared Garrus?

"Yes, Lyrach Eshi." Stolonvin introduced.

She eyed him up and down like he was nothing she hadn't seen already. Garrus stood slowly, attempting to read her body language. Humans were nearly impossible to read.

"Let's go." She finally said. She waited for Garrus to move before she did, not wanting to turn her back to him. Garrus picked up on that much to reciprocate that she did not trust him.

_Good, at least someone is displaying competence_.

Sometime later, Garrus' omni tool went off, indicating that his gun should have arrived by now. His heart rate increased at the thought. His mind swam in thoughts of him nabbing his gun and leaving this uptight—head-up-their-asses-planet. He hadn't been here a day and he already hated everything about Illium.

* * *

Shepard sat with her head against the window of the shuttle. The endless sea of white speckles flew past her eyes almost in a blur.

"Approaching Illium in three minutes Shepard." A metallic female's voice said from the cockpit.

Shepard raised her head off the glass. "Alright…. Has Garrus arrived yet?"

"My docking scanner states that Vakarian's ship was registered at Bay-1439 at noon." The voice at the front of the cockpit replied.

"Shit." She spat under her breath.

"Not to worry, his weapon just passed screening and is being shipped to the Dantius Towers now. If he's smart, he would've created a good alias—posing as merc; since so many people want her dead…!" The more protection the better was what her pilot was getting at.

Shepard could only cross her fingers to this revelation. Yes, Garrus was smart in Shepard's mind but only in the moment. She felt that she was always picking up his slack, and for that she should needed to get paid. Garrus' contracts seemed to have sufficed so far.

What she had planned now was 'one for the books,' as they say. She knew about Nassana threw Aria T'loak and again through Liara. Nassana had some business dealings on Omega, she pissed off the wrong people—particularly Aria. She was told to get out of Omega before things got ugly. She did so, going to the citadel where she had her sister killed in order to avoid an investigation into her business activity.

Unfortunately for her, the plan backfired. Her sister being murdered raised suspicion and she had to high-tail it to Illium. She was running out of places to hide, and leaving a trail of blood and enemies in her wake. It was unclear if she even knew how many people she had screwed over—leaving hungry with revenge.

One of Shepard's closest friends just happened to be an up-and-coming shadow broker. She fed her a series of data files that hinted at two assassins that had been hired by various people to take her down. Her gut told her that since Nassana's fortress was vulnerable, an assassin wouldn't waste the opportunity.

Hopefully, Nassana being Nassana would piss Garrus off and he would take her out. Then Shepard could intercept him before he went to collect the bounty. That was her wishful thought. The reality was that if her instincts were right and the assassins were there; this could quickly turn into a blood bath.

Nassana Dantius had a reputation of slaughtering people when she felt the wolves closing in. Her mind began to wonder about Garrus' safety. If shit hit the fan, he could get caught in the crosshairs. Second and third thoughts began to pour suds of grease bubbles into her stomach. She wanted to call the whole thing off, but the damage was done. There was no turning back.

"Shepard, we're here." The voice echoed back.

She didn't respond as her thoughts of the severity of the situation weighed down on her. Perhaps she didn't believe the things she had once heard Aria rant about concerning Nassana.

"Shepard?" the voice called with more determination, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"I heard you." She replied stiffly as she maneuvered from her seat to the weapons' locker.

"How long should I wait?"

"This should be over by midnight. If you don't hear back from me by then, assume the worst and get the hell out of here."

"Understood."

"… and EDI… thank you."

"No Shepard—thank you, for making me feel… human!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Note by Author**: Hello and sorry that it took so long to update. I have a lot going on so forgive the mistakes with grammar and such. This chapter is slightly humorous. Next chapter will be action, and then I'll get back to the good stuff. I hope the direction is not confusing and I will warn you that I did not review this chapter before I posted it, but you guys can just tell me what you think.

* * *

BMMP… BMMP!

"What was that… what was that?" A pissed off violet colored assari burst through the door of the tower's main office. "I heard a noise, go check it out—now!" She ordered another assari that was standing guard.

"Yes ma'am." The assari standing guard took off immediately in a direction that was aimless.

Garrus was with Pepa, still learning the ropes. He felt as if he had been surrounded by children. This was the umpteenth time Nassana had burst from her office over the slightest little sound. The noise could've come from anything thing. Garrus had his credits on the AC unit. He had noted much earlier that it was on auto and would have to keep cutting on to maintain the programmed temperature. Then again it could be the construction workers. They were working on the other tower which was right next to the one they were in.

Hell, in all of Garrus' mercenary life, he had never seen such disorganization and incompetence. First off, Nassana had way too many supposed body guards. Most of her hired arms looked like thugs fresh off the streets of Omega. They may have offed somebody once or twice and decided that was enough to call themselves mercenaries. The other bunch looked as if they were runaways looking for approval or attention, but peel back a layer and they were as frightened as if they were children watching a horror vid.

As soon as the frightened assari turned the corner, she went smack-dab into another young merc. They both fell to the ground dropping weapons as well as curse words. Nassana watched as the two stooges fumbled with whose weapon was whose. After untangling the straps of their shotguns, the two finally stood up in an equally disoriented manner—rubbing their foreheads as they parted ways.

Nassana simply shook her head at the other mercs. "Remind me to kill that one when this nuisance is dealt with." She spoke openly.

A certified ass-kisser named Barl Vivan—a krogan merc; he was in charge of weapons detail… blah… blah… blah. Garrus could care less what this overdressed, ridiculously armed pile of garbage was to Nassana. Barl Vivan was the target. Garrus overheard Barl and Nassana talking about a fresh shipment of weapons that would be delivered to the storage room. Hell, she was practically yelling it. Nassana couldn't whisper if her throat was removed.

She had an annoying voice that was nasally and high-pitched. The first time Garrus had seen her, she was belittling two of her employees—her real employees, not hired guns. She had the two salarians afraid of their own shadows. Then, she had the audacity to put her hands on them; slapping and pushing them violently. Garrus wanted to whip out his pistol and put one right in the back of her tentacle skull but that would've blown his cover. It took every bit of his willpower to refrain from acting on his Archangel impulses.

After patronizing the two employees, Nassana sent them running for the hills. She walked back into her huge office with an even bigger grin smeared across her face like grease on a cheese burger. Garrus' whole day seemed to be filled with incompetence. Another krogan punched a guy in the stomach because he was 'tampering' with a power conduit. Turned out to be someone who was hired by Nassana to install the new alarm system; he was simply running some upgrades, but Garrus assumed that the name plate on his shirt, and the fact that the man told the krogan who he was wasn't enough.

He had also seen a so called merc digging in his nose, a guy doing a complete workout routine in a back room, another guy who had to be rushed to the hospital after shooting himself in the groin while trying to take out his weapon. There were so many mercenaries in one space that it was crowded and just stupid. If Stolonvin was head of security, Nassana would be better off shooting him in the head because this disorganization was going to get her killed quicker than anything.

"Rotham!" Nassana yelled obnoxiously through the closed door of her office. Another merc abruptly turned toward the door and headed in. Garrus could only shake his head with bewilderment.

He used to not believe in hell, but now he was starting to. Pepa, his 'mentor' for the moment was constantly yelling at the newer mercs to shape up. Garrus felt a headache burrowing itself like a worm into the temple of his brain. He saw some people just staring at the ceiling like losers. If they twiddled their thumbs they'd be more productive, or less stupid-looking. Then came the straw that broke the camel's back: An idiot had the audacity to pull out a harmonica and start playing. Throw that in with a bunch of chatter, and the muffled vomit of Nassana's voice erupting through the walls and there was sheer chaos.

The entire scenario was laughable. Garrus was so close to laughing when the dialogue he'd been waiting to hear echoed from the other room.

"A shipment of military grade weapons just came in. I want you and Barl to go down to the basement and 'deal' with the extra baggage." Nassana hissed, referring to the people who dropped off the guns. Instead of paying them for the delivery, she felt it was better to off the two guys.

His gun had arrived! Garrus felt his heart skip a few beats. He just wanted to get his weapon and get the hell out of this ridiculous circus. All he had to do was go down to the basement and get it. Easier said than done; Nassana had ordered the new-hires on one floor… hers? What since did that make? A pyjack would've given smarter orders.

With these kids Garrus figured that all he had to do was ask to use the bathroom; from there he could make his getaway. He knew that there was surveillance everywhere, but odds were that nobody competent was watching the monitors.

He cleared his throat before speaking, "I need to… run to the head…."

Pepa eyed him suspiciously. She was about to speak when a voice came through on her omni tool. "Pepa, I need you to take a small team down to the zone three. Five of my men are not responding."

She neared the tool to her mouth. "Yes Nassana." Then she looked at Garrus. "You come with me." She swiftly plucked two more out of the bunch—people that looked like they actually had a brain; then they headed down to zone three.

#

Several thunderous footsteps beat the partially carpeted floor as the team of mercs entered zone three. It was a large waiting area that branched off to a huge conference room and several small offices. The many visor covered eyes scanned the area cautiously.

Just then another group of mercs entered from across the open space. One of the guys was Barl. With his Claymore shotgun locked and loaded he led the second team toward the first.

"Barl, what's the situation?" Pepa barked in a low demanding tone.

"I found two bodies in the mess hall—another near a storage closet. The assassin's here… odds are he's not working alone."

Pepa glanced at her crew before speaking. "Alright listen up, we break up into pairs; search every room, every closet, every vent. This asshole's killed three of us already. If you hear anything out of the ordinary, report it. We keep in contact at all…"

BUDMP-BMMP!

Pepa flinched at the sudden sound. Everyone's eyes were up at the ceiling. Their brains rummaged through the idea of someone crawling through the vent systems.

"Let's go!" Pepa hissed in a low tone. "Lyrach, with me."

Garrus wanted to object but he had several cards in his deck that he could play. This situation was working greatly in his favor. Still, Garrus couldn't help the fact that his tolerance was just about spent. _Great, just my luck_. Garrus had to fight to suppress his sub-harmonics that wanted to sing of disappointment. He couldn't risk the keen ears of the krogan hearing him. Everyone else naturally found their partner, scattering like roaches to find the assassin.

Pepa was still apprehensive of 'Lyrach' and she had every right to be. Garrus knew that she wanted to keep an eye on him. He felt her instincts toy with the idea that he was somehow connected to the assassin.

The spaces were mediocrely lit. It was obvious someone had sabotaged the lights, but why not cut them all off? Garrus wondered as his eagle eyesight captured clue after clue. His work with C-Sec aided him as well. Garrus was putting the puzzle pieces together faster than Pepa could say "Calibrations."

After several long minutes of 'go here, go there,' and a ridiculous amount of com-chatter between the two groups; the two ended up at door leading to a large conference room. There was a wall of glass that swam with a pristine vision of Illium. The sight was truly breath-taking but Garrus wasn't here for sight-seeing.

Pepa went to the right as Garrus went to the left, careful not to stumble over a chair. The lights were completely off. Both mercs had their weapons close to their faces in a military fashion as they examined the room. Flashlights on their guns and Garrus' visor lit the way. Once determining that the room was clear, they met in the middle.

"Why would the assassin bother cutting the lights to this room?" Pepa asked in a loud whisper.

Garrus dropped his gun to his side before replying. "Maybe they thought Nassana was going to be in here?"

"No…" Pepa aimed her flashlight in a direction that was past his head. "If I didn't know any better, I say this is a trap."

Her suspicion became a reality with Garrus' visor catching the faint glow of a green laser pointing at the side of her temple.

"Get down!" He barked. Grabbing Pepa by the arm harshly, he jerked her entire frame close to his, dropping to the ground simultaneously. Gunfire erupted through various windows, lighting up the contemporary furniture and ravaging the Thessia inspired architecture. The glass rained down like a water fall. The noise was so loud that they had to cover their ears.


	10. The Fall of Nassana

Shepard had snuck in the tower through the sewage system; not the most conventional route, but at least she didn't have to worry about being seen, for now. She crawled through the thick black water, cursing the fact that her armor would need some serious—serious cleaning afterward. There was a breathing apparatus strapped to her face so that her nostrils wouldn't have to partake in the wretched stench that her body crawled through.

The space was so tight that her back grazed the ceiling. It seemed like she had been in the space forever. Her ears could barely make out the chaos only a few feet above.

* * *

Pepa came stumbling out of the room once the shooters subsided. She was disoriented, crashing into Garrus' much taller and stronger frame. He caught her weakly—not really wanting to.

"Are you hit?" He barked as he tried to steady her.

"I…," Pepa began. Her body was flooded with adrenalin. Weariness started to weigh on her.

Garrus didn't have to look hard; seeing her hand slip from a place below her ribcage. Blood screamed from the wound. Pepa dropped to her knees. Garrus held her tighter as her body morphed to jelly. He instinctively felt for his medigel. That was when he felt it: His medigel dispenser had been damaged. Pepa was sinking to the floor by this time. If she didn't get help soon, it would be too late.

He laid her down, scanning her armor with his eyes for medigel. "You need medigel." Garrus stated the obvious.

Pepa's eyes were blinking rapidly. They were also red and swimming in tears. "I…" She could barely form words. Pepa was bleeding to death. Her hand was back over the wound, but she hadn't the strength to apply pressure and Garrus hadn't the patience.

He decided to take a chance. While the human struggled for air, Garrus carefully activated her omni tool. She was almost too far gone to care. He downloaded several files on Nassana and the towers. Skimming through the files hastily, he eventually found what he was looking for: Access codes to every location that he would need entry for. Now he wouldn't have to hack the doors.

Standing on his feet, his eyes were tarnished by the sight of humans, batarians, and another pissed off asari. They froze in their tracks when they saw Garrus standing over the still dying Pepa. Their guns were already drawn, and as their eyes bounced from Pepa to Garrus, one conclusion became clear; He was now the enemy.

Garrus already knew they weren't going to give him any time to explain. They opened fire just as Garrus dove into what he thought was a storage room. Luckily it was door that lead to a long hallway. With the toss of a proximity mine in the corner of the entrance he darted to the end of the hallway.

His new enemies pursued him, blindly. Only the pissed off asari stayed back, using her brain. A vengeful explosion sent the asari flying back onto Pepa's body while the idiot that chased after Garrus were scattered into more pieces than they'd like. While Garrus cautiously fled, he sent the schematics of the towers to his visor.

The asari had medigel on her but she dare not use it on anyone but herself. She eventually got up, hearing bells in her ears. Her gun had been thrown out of her hands. She ran over to swoop it up and then chased after Garrus.

After many twists and turns and the sound of Nassana's annoying voice screeching through the intercoms, mutilating everyone's ears; Garrus made it to an elevator. It was a long shot, but he really didn't want to take the steps. Mashing the button, the logo in the center lit up. _Thank the spirits!_

That was until he heard a transmission. "Nassana, it's P'atielar, I'm go after one of the assassins; assuming that there were more. According to Pepa, he's one that Stolonvin hired. I'm uploading his file now."

"Shit." Garrus spat as the door to the elevator opened up.

"What…! Deal with this nuisance. And when you're done, find Stolonvin and bring him to me. I'm gonna tear him apart!"

"Shit… shit… shit!" Garrus hissed. Now he had to fight a whole army just to get his sniper rifle.

This was great news for Nassana's real threat.

* * *

Finally out of the muck, Shepard had to carefully hack a small door, leading to a sub-level in the maintenance quarter. Analyzing her data, she could bypass most if not all of the fighting; find Nassana, and put one in her head before the assassin did. If that plan failed, her backup was to get to her safe and rob the bitch.

The information regarding Nassana's assassin or assassins was vague. One name that she was able to dig up was a Drell named Thane Krios. His photo portrayed him as a passive soul; not one to be taken for a deadly assassin. Shepard closed the file as she pressed on.

* * *

Garrus came out of the elevator with caution in every drive of his muscles. He heard some muffled dialogue as his body rode the wall.

"Looks like they found the assassin; it's a turian." The vocals hinted at humans, possible only two, one sounding older than the other.

The younger voice giggled. "Well that was easy, can't wait till this job is over, cause I got a hot piece of asari-ass waiting for me at Eternity."

"Asari… really, I've only been with human. What's it like."

"What, you've only been with human! Man you need to live a little…; asari is…" the youthful voice began to explain, "A lot like dating a human, except the sex is… explosive!"

Garrus came around the corner, melding with the counter that extended from the wall. His form ghosted past the two humans who were oblivious to anything out of the ordinary. Their conversation sank into the very graphic details of the asari body versus the human body. He made it to a curved hallway, when all of the main power suddenly died.

The building melted into complete darkness with only the emergency lights and selective systems online. A back-up generator was now the only source of power holding this once, top-of-the-line facility together. With most of the power gone, the workers gave into fear. They began to abandon their posts in a panic, despite the consequences.

Shots were fired on many levels, as screams shattered the brief silence. Garrus was almost to the basement. He moved faster and less cautious. Turning the corner he saw robot mecs firing on some co-workers. He popped several rounds into each of the mecs' heads. They exploded in a roar of sparks and wires before crumbling to the ground.

The surviving workers stumbled to the ground, closest to the wall. With their bodies in upright fetal positions, one cried, "Please, don't shoot. We just want to get out of here."

Garrus lowered his weapon as he moved closer. In a low but determined voice he replied. "I'm not gonna shoot you." He pulled one of the salarian's up by his arm. The others slowly rose to their feet. "There are people pursuing me. Find a place to hide for a bout ten minutes, then you make a run for it."

"Yeah… okay." The salarian was so afraid that his spindly arm was trembling in Garrus' grasp.

"Go." Garrus ordered as he moved on. The salarians wasted no time diving into a storage closet and sealing the door.

* * *

"All security cams are down, ma'am." A female merc uttered to Nassana.

"Damn it." She banged her fist down on her desk. She was more upset at the fact that she couldn't see which of her labor force had violated their contracts. "The longer it takes you guys to find this pest, the more money I loose!" She barked.

"Well find him ma'am." The female weakly assured.

"Yeah right." Nassana spat sardonically.

Suddenly, one of Nassana' large screen panels switched on and a figure distorted by static spoke. "Nassana Dantius, reign of evil is over. We've got the place surrounded." The voice was altered as well. "You're out numbered and out gunned. We ask that you cease fire on all contract workers, or else I will assure you that we will bring your towers down!"

Nassana began to laugh, "Bring my towers down, you do that, and all the contract workers die!"

"Negative," the voice replied just as the roar of small shuttles approached. Nassana ran to one of the windows to see many of her once bound workers fleeing the towers. It was a war zone as the robot mecs fired at the workers. Heavily armed people departed from the shuttles, providing cover fire for the innocent. The screen cut to blackness.

"Fuck!" Nassana hissed.

"Ma'am, get away from the window." Another one of her guards barked as he pulled her away.

Just then, sniper fire shattered the window, simultaneously an explosion rattled the tower. Metal beams could be heard whining as their ability to support such a structure waned.

"I think it's time we got out of here, ma'am." The male guard that pulled her from the window exclaimed.

The realization that her empire was falling weighed heavily in her heart. With what little pride she had left, her eyes agreed before her mouth did. "Get me the fuck outta here."

"Yes, ma'am." The male guard replied as he released her.


	11. Eventually Burned

**Notes by Author**: Hello people. I'm rushing it a little bit, I know. I will start to slow it down; I had some writer's block but that's dead and gone. Keep at it with the honest reviews so that I know if it is a hit or miss. It also helps when I get writer's block. I am enjoying this story and I will try to give you guys a heads up when there's sex/rape so not to offend anyone; sometimes I get carried away and or forget. Enjoy and thanks again to all for posting reviews.

* * *

Finally, Garrus had made it to the basement level. He didn't anticipate it to be so huge. It was a warehouse. Using the schematics, he navigated his way through the darkness. He used the many obstacles to mask his advancement. Muffled voices swam into his hear canals as he neared the shipment.

There were mercs around every turn that stood out like a sore thumb. He had to snap a few necks to avoid being seen. Standing upon a ledge that gave him an arial perspective, he could see the overly dressed krogan, Barl and his crew of 'look-at-me-ass-kissers'. The krogan had Garrus' sniper rifle in his grasp. Five smaller framed, human, baterian, hanar, and two volus, were secured by their hands or tentacles. They were pleading with the mercs for mercy. Unfortunately their please were distorted due to their mouths being gagged.

"So what you wanna do with them?" a human merc who was scruffy asked.

"Nassana wants them offed, and since we're short on time, throw them in the pool… let em drowned while we get back to the action." Barl calmly stated just before bashing one of the delivery men in the head with the butt of Garrus' sniper rifle.

His Archangel blood came to a boil. Just then, his eyes caught sight of a barrel that was sure to explode if shot. It would make a fine distraction. A distraction was indeed what he needed, not only to retrieve his gun, but to save the lives of these poor, sentient beings who were now at the mercy of the merciless.

* * *

BOOM! With the savage eruption of the barrel and everyone sent into a firing slash diving frenzy; hadn't Garrus been shooting, he'd sure be laughing his ass off at their amateur reactions. One merc reached for his gun so fast that it slipped from his grip, flying off into the distance.

Another merc was firing aimlessly in the widened space, made smaller only by the bulky clutter. The warehouse was painted in a murky yellow, like peering into a clouded pond. The emergency lighting was in need of some serious maintenance. Garrus took out several mercs before reloading. The krogan named Barl, retracted Garrus' prize weapon for an equally conventional one. The Claymore shot gun emerged and rounds bit at hulks of wooden-metal crates, near Garrus' vicinity.

"Shit." He hissed. He had to move knowing that backup was on their way.

* * *

Nassana's blue ass and hand full of allies were ushering her down the flight of stair; using a secret emergency exit.

"Why was there no elevator installed here?" Nassana complained; quick to blame others for any and all fault.

"You never requested it, ma'am." A rugged sounding asari replied submissively.

"Right." Nassana spat as if in disbelief.

"When this is all taken care of, we'll get an elevator installed here immediately." The rugged asari attempted to lighten the dampened Nassana.

"Just get me the hell outta here." She barked as they continued down the staircase.

"Yes ma'am."

* * *

Garrus made it to another side of the upper deck. Just as he suspected, the asari who pursued him earlier had showed up. She and her small crew had spread.

Barl pointed a large digit with venom in his dark eyes. "He's up there, and I think he's alone."

"Good," P'atielar hissed. Her face was riddle with scars and her armor was banged up, matching her abused features. Her brow morphed into a frown as she kept low and close to the krogan. Then she signaled to her group to advance.

The team was closing in on him, given Vakarian lesser options. Getting cornered was a definite death sentence.

TINK TINK TINK!

Garrus' eyes widened as the familiar sound landed too close for comfort. His visor picked up on the frag grenade rolling within a few meters of his position. Swearing in his native tongue before bouncing back, simultaneously firing at a merc; the grenade went off.

The explosion ate through a large chunk of the top deck, shrapnel flew in every direction. The force sent Garrus against a wall, harder than he'd like. Dazed for a moment, adrenalin slapped him back to reality as more bullets whizzed by his suspected location.

Capturing footsteps in his ears, Garrus could tell that people were advancing on the upper level. He moved like an injured varren, scrambling to his knees to crawl further back. Suddenly more TINK TINK's followed by loud, violent explosions. Garrus was thrown off his feet as he tried to dart for a maintenance shaft. He stumbled to his feet again only to have his path eaten by gunfire.

Garrus had no choice but to dive behind some more crates. Looking for more distractions, he used the large hole in the floor to his advantage. Firing at another barrel off in the distance, he waited for the explosion before tumbling through the hole.

He then stumbled through the maze of debris, silencing someone with his hands, rather than giving away his new position. Relieving the now, dead merc of his shotgun, Garrus pressed on with pain stabbing neck. His rough talon, touched the pulsing area on his neck, drawing back more blood than he need to see.

"Damn it."

Then the bullets started flying.

* * *

"Almost there, Nassana, soon will be home free home." The manly sounding asari sang as she opened a rickety door leading to a vast open space on the bottom level.

It seemed like the place was vacant, which gave Nassana a grand sense of hope. Her guard slipped as she moved faster toward the exit. "Once I'm off this miserable fucking planet, I expect the perpetrators to be handled in the vilest way imaginable. Then I expect all my former contract employees to be dealt with in the same manner." Nassana's mouth was curved into a grin as her cocky slash confident steps carried her closer to freedom.

"Don't worry, ma'am, you'll be bathing in your enemies blood within the hour." A human merc added.

"Worry… I never worry." Nassana lied. "I've got too much money to every worry."

POW POW POW POW POW POW POW…

Several mercs fell like dominoes as a slender drell fell like a drop of water from a beam on the ceiling. Before Nassana could even process what had happened, two gentle yet focused hands, brushed softly with scales covered her face. With one sweeping motion Nassana's neck was broken and her crumpled form was placed gently on to the ground. Her arms were placed over her chest peacefully as the slender being stood back.

His large eyes like two black holes, swam over her deceased body before his hands clapped into a prayer; dropping his snake-fish head as he did so.

* * *

"Shepard, my biometric scans indicate that Nassana Dantius is no longer living." EDI, the unshackled AI spoke through Shepard's com.

"Shit… son of a…" Shepard gathered herself, remembering that she was in the middle of a war zone. "Thank you EDI."

"You're welcome, Shepard—there is one other thing."

"What is it?"

"Your turian ally, Garrus Vakarian is in great peril."

Shepard didn't bat an eyelash. "And…?" Really wanting to say, "So!"

"My scans indicate that he is held up in the basement section-D1, sending you his location—now."

Shepard huffed as her omni tool lit up with the new information. A large part of her wanted to just let him be. If he died, he died.

* * *

Garrus shot someone in the leg, another in the chest, before wearily moving through the obstacle course. He stumbled several times, nearly dropping the shot gun. Crashing down beside some crates, he attempted to be as silence his heavy breathing.

Pressing the wound again, it bit back with a nasty attitude. Garrus jerked away with labored breath. He had run out of swear words in both his native tongue and in English.

"Hey, I see blood. I think we got the motherfucker." A merc sang just above a whisper.

"Think again," Garrus spat just before sending a bullet into the man's temple.

Another couple of grenades were thrown. They landed in different areas, not far apart from one another. Garrus heard the near distant clanks as he pressed for cover. His body had been worn out, and with his medigel applicator ruined, death was at his doorstep.

Loud noises, hot air, and pieces of shrapnel threw Garrus into a pile of boxes. His body smashed down on them with relentless force.

* * *

"Fucking turian scum." A human shouted out as he approached Garrus' body.

Offended, a turian merc shot him in the back of the skull. The human fell, never knowing what had hit him.

The group advanced closer to Garrus' body. "Put one in the back of his head, to make sure he's dead." Barl spoke as if he were yawning with boredom.

"Aye." Another merc replied before a bullet flew through her skull. She dropped like a pile of garbage.

Another merc fell, then another. Before they could figure out which direction the new gunfire was coming from, all the mercs had been dropped, all except P'atielar, the asari and Barl.

They hid behind crates with ghostly smoke, left over from the grenades; hung in the air. The krogan was almost too big to hide himself. Metal from the upper deck caved in under pressure, forcing the last two mercs to break cover. They fired their weapons as they did so. Shepard sniped the asari easily. She fell near the captives who were still tied up.

The krogan dove into a sorry pile of rubble. Shepard tossed a grenade, forcing him out of cover once again. Abandoning her position, she lit him up with her shot gun. The heavy fire ate away at his kinetic barrier. The blast fucked him up. With his body in shambles of blood and broken krogan shell, Shepard marched up to him, putting several rounds into his skull.

Once she was satisfied, she did a quick scan of the perimeter to ensure that it was safe. After that, she untied the victims who didn't flee immediately, like she thought they would've. Instead they retrieved some weapons. Lastly, Shepard checked on Garrus. Grabbing up his scarred rifle, she stormed over to his body.

Rolling him over, she immediately began applying medigel. Simultaneously she spoke to him. "Garrus? Garrus can you hear me?"

His body was stiff, his eyes were closed. Pulling up his vitals on her omni tool showed that his blood pressure was dangerously low.

"Shit." She cursed as the worry finally set in.

The men she rescued offered to help her and Garrus escape. It was more than what she could ask for under these circumstances. At least she wasn't leaving empty handed.

* * *

Garrus sat up abruptly. Pain resonated throughout his body causing him to wince loudly. A gentile hand pressed against his carapace just before a familiar voice swam into his ears.

"Garrus, lay back down, it's okay."

His eyes opened to a dimly lit room, drowning in a residual hum that reminded him of being on a ship. Blurred images of dotted light and a face that he couldn't quite recognize floated in his eyesight. Garrus reluctantly lied back down on the soft bed, as weariness took a hold of him.

* * *

When he awoke again, there was pretty much the same images as before, except the person who had been sitting in front of him was now gone. Garrus sat up slowly. Bites of pain reminded him to take caution with every movement. He sat in an upright position until he could gain his bearings. Once his senses had gathered, Garrus slowly removed his beaten form from the bed, feeling bandages upon his body in various spots. His thick feet felt the coldness of steel as he staggered toward the bathroom. As he moved, the semidry of familiar bulkheads, emergency lights, and buttons came back to him.

He was on his ship, but who was flying it. Panic spilled into his gut, thinking the worst. He forced himself against the pain to limp to the cockpit. It seemed further away now that he was hurt. His constant wincing startled a formerly relaxed Shepard.

She spun around in his chair. Their eyes met… fire and ice!

Borrowing a phrase from Earth, Garrus spat, "Oh hell nah!"

Shepard jumped up. "Garrus, you shouldn't be…"

Garrus interrupted her with his talon. "What the fuck…?"

Her brain struggled to decide if that was a question on a greeting. Shepard settled for a question. "You shouldn't be up in your condition."

"Why the fuck are you on my ship?"

Shepard ignored his acidic tone. "You need to rest, Garrus."

"'I need to rest… I need to rest…! I need to rest!'" He yelled at the top of his lungs. Pain stabbed at his ribs and his neck all at once. He grabbed his neck, being the most painful of the two. "I need to whoop your ass. That's what I need to do."

Garrus then grabbed her arm harshly. "Get your ass outta that damn chair…"

Shepard tried to snatch her arm away in clear defiance. "No! Get off me!"

They went back and forth with Garrus grabbing at her against the pain, and Shepard snatching her limbs away from his weakened grip.

"Get off me." Shepard hissed.

Garrus eventually got the upper hand, only because Shepard let him. Pulling her out of his chair, she shoved her violently away. Shepard stumbled, catching her footing against another panel before glaring at the turian.

"When we land on the Citadel, I expect your sorry ass to be gone with the wind, is that understood?"

"Fuck you!" Shepard fired back.

Garrus mashed a few buttons on the flight panel, trying to erase the fact that the person who he hated the most was within arm's reach of him. Shepard spoke but Garrus completely ignored her words. Instead his eyes surfed the surroundings. Near his weapons' locker sat his prized sniper rifle. It was still intact, except for the scrapes and dings. He could get those out easy.

Shepard seemed to disappear as his eyes locked on his gun. Shepard had stopped speaking, knowing full well that he was ignoring her. She stood near him as he rose slowly from his seat; the ship on auto-pilot. Garrus shoved her out of his way causing Shepard to have to catch herself on the panel again.

He made his way over to his sniper rifle. His hand hovered over the weapon before he picked it up. He placed his forehead on the side of the barrel like a turian would do to a mate. With his eyes closed he whispered, "Thank the spirits."

"Actually you should thank me." Shepard spat. It was a selfish statement, but her mind treaded on ice of revenge, mixed with the blatant failure with Nassana. She wanted to be the one to take that bitch out. "Had I not have been there, you surely would've been…"

Garrus stood up slowly. He growled at the pain, using his gun as a brace. Shepard ran to his side to help support him. Garrus snarled at her, jerking his body away from her.

"Don't." he then demanded. He limped his way to the back room.

Shepard again tried to help. He pushed her away, harshly. "Leave me alone, Shepard!"

She didn't say anything. Just standing near the cockpit quietly as Garrus retreated to the back room. He closed the door, sealing it shut.


	12. Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cold

**Notes by Author**: I was writing like a maniac last night at 3 AM, so please forgive the mistakes. I had fun writing this and I will have one more chapter. Then there will be sequel to this story. I would just like to thank all of my supporters!

* * *

Garrus' ship made its heavenly descent back onto the Citadel docking bay. It was 0400 and Shepard was exhausted, but she refused to leave Garrus' side. He snarled at her while limping off the ship with as much gear riding his shoulder as he could stand. Shepard carried the rest of his belongings while he gave her the silent treatment.

The walk to his apartment was a long and lonely one, for both of them. Garrus refused to make eye contact. Once the door whooshed open, he expected Shepard to leave, but she did not. Placing his stuff down gently as if she actually cared; Garrus could only roll his eyes.

He dropped his load harshly on the ground to make a point, only laying his precious sniper rifle against the wall. He started for the shower when Shepard spoke.

"Garrus… would you let me explain?"

He turned sharply as if he were a cadet back in his academy years. "Let you explain? Let you explain what—that you almost got me killed!"

Shepard raised her hand up defensively before speaking, "Now I know…"

"No, Shepard… you went too far this time." Garrus turned sharply again.

"I went too far…?" She began to laugh sardonically. She ghosted behind him. "So what do you call that night at the club, foreplay?"

Garrus turned back around, "Had you kept your mouth shut about my mother, I would've never…" he found himself unable to look at her.

"Right." Shepard spat as she suddenly looked away. Her stomach twisted into knots as memories so vivid stabbed into her mind, forcing her to relive the horror of him forcefully inside her forbidden entrance. She could still feel his talons ravaging the flesh on her back. The tears threatened to emerge…

Heavy silence stood between them, gripping them as if they were entangled in tones of barbed wire.

Unable to stand the silence no longer, Garrus spoke. "I… need a shower. You'd better be gone by-time I finish."

"And if I'm not?" Shepard tested in her reply.

"Don't play with me bitch, I'm not in the fucking mood." Garrus threatened as he pointed a dangerous talon at her. "You get out of my house with your sorry, skank-ass self. You're nothing but a damn leech!"

"Fuck you, Vakarian!" Shepard chased behind him as he swiftly turned around. "You're nothing but a washed up, vigilante turned rapist." Garrus turned back around as she struck a nerve. "How many other girls did you rape, besides me, huh? Bet you feel like a real man now, don't you."

Knowing that she was hitting several nerves made her want more of a reaction. She wanted him to know the full extent of his actions. Facing her with only breaths to separate the two; Shepard continued to pour fuel on the fire.

"You're nothing but a little bitch, you know that, Vakarian?" He growled as she shoved him at the end of her sentence.

Turning around, he attempted to walk.

"Oh that's right Vakarian, walk away like a little bitch—not man enough to face what you did. Now I know where your daddy went wrong!"

Garrus froze in his steps.

"So tell me, is that part of your vigilante protocol… raping women?" Shepard spat as if slicing his nerves with razor blades. "I guess it is sense you're not a real man! You're pathetic! You make me sick!" With anger ravaging her mind she shoved him violently.

He went forward, catching himself with his feet—not daring to face her.

"What's the matter you fucking punk! Gonna go all quiet on me?"

Garrus finally turned around. His sub vocals were screaming for her to back off. His mandibles were pulsing against his face.

"I should've left you there to die." Shepard screamed.

"Oh yeah, well why didn't you?" Garrus shouted back. His voice was more domineering than hers. "Why didn't you just let me die…?"

Shepard remained silent.

"Oh now look who's got nothing to say. All mouth until the tables are turned. "What's the matter, Shepard; can't take what you dish out?"

Completely bypassing his question, she went for already damaged ego, "You wanna know the real reason why I think you became a vigilante…? I think you set out to try and destroy the very thing you are: A dirty, slimy, scum-bag, who's only way to satisfy himself is by beating and raping women!"

Garrus' eyes darkened. His mandibles stilled for a second before speaking in an eerily passive demeanor. "Well Shepard, if you know that then perhaps you should leave my apartment, before you have another 'accident.'" His mandibles expanded upon his face in a turian-smile.

Shepard clenched her fist, motioning as if she were about to take her leave. Spinning around on one heel, she marched up to Garrus. He was much taller than her, but she stared him down.

"Let me tell you something motherfucker…" she faked a left punch to distract him. With his wounded neck voulnerable, she grabbed his wound with her right within the blink of an eye; twisting him into submission.

"Aaaaaah… fuck'n spirits…!" Garrus cried as he fell to the ground.

A swift knee to the face shut him up for the moment. Once on the ground, Shepard kicked the shit out of him for several long minutes. Her boots crashing on top of his skull was the only sound that could be heard. She beat him almost to the point of exhaustion. When she finally subsided, Garrus was writhing in agony. The gauze on his neck was steeped in dark blue blood. He was coughing with labored breath.

Shepard pulled out her dagger, forcing herself on top of Garrus. He squirmed helplessly at her mercy. Drawing her hand back, she punched him a few satisfying times before placing the blade against his blood-soaked neck.

"As I was saying—motherfucker; you ever do what you did to me again, or any other woman, and I'll have you fucked by every vorcha and baterian on Omega. Then I'll fuck you myself, right in the ass, with this knife. Then I'll cut your fucking dick off and make you eat it, understood?"

Garrus kept his talons near his neck, breathing in waves of pain. His eyes were widened with surprise.

Shepard jabbed the blade into his wound, "I asked you a fucking question!"

"Aaaaaah… yes, yes, yes, I understand!" He proclaimed.

Shepard smirked with the type of satisfaction no amount of credits could buy. Getting up abruptly, she sheathed her blade before removing something else in her pocket. Garrus held his wound, trembling as he did so. She turned to face him. Once Garrus saw her, he attempted to back away only to bump into the couch.

"Couldn't leave without saying goodbye." Shepard sang. She brandished a needle full of eezo, tainted with hallex. Garrus tried to get up, but he was kicked hard in the ribs. Then she pressed him down on his stomach with all of her weight. He fought the losing battle against the pain. "Quit squirming you, bitch!"

Punching him in the neck caused Garrus to freeze. "I said hold still, motherfucker!" She sank the needle into his wounded flesh, emptying the syringe.

The drug ravaged his veins and his senses. Familiar yet, uncomfortable feelings sat on his body as Shepard hovered over him. She struggled to turn him over on to his back. Throwing the syringe, she neared her face to his.

"Goodbye my Archangel." She whispered, giving him a peck on he the lips before standing up.

She waltzed toward the door, this time for good… or so she thought.


	13. Peace Within the Pain of Your Past

** Notes by Author**: Okay, so I guess I will continue on with this story, I haven't decided yet. **Alert**: Graphic sex scene! Thanks for all of the reviews Very helpful feedback. I went kind of fast through this chapter and did not read over it like I should have. If you find it to be full of mistakes just let me know in the reviews and I will correct it, but I don't think it should be that bad. Enjoy as always.

* * *

Several weeks later…

"I love you… I love you… and you… I love all of you." A patron who was two drinks over his limit blurted out in the techno steeped room of Purgatory.

"Let'me get one more!" Shepard begged; her head dipped sloppily with locks of hair covering her face. She held a single digit in the air in a poor attempt to catch the bartender's attention.

It was good enough for him. He poured her another cup of that uncut: one-tenth ryncol, well blinded with asari wine and batarian ale: Guaranteed to fuck a human up. Shepard slouched over the bar with her ass sticking out like a fly in lotion. Her body language called for any man to come and get her. Soaking in her misery; she had already blown off ninety percent of the guys that barked up her tree. She didn't want to be bothered by men, turians mostly.

Just returning from a trip to Earth, it seemed so foreign; like another Citadel. Aliens were starting to inhabit Earth, for whatever reason, the majority of them being asari and turian. Shepard could only roll her eyes at the realization that if aliens continued to colonize Earth her home world would be no more. I mean, she didn't see turians flocking the Thessia, or quarians invading Palavin.

_Invading… strong word_. Shepard retracted her thoughts, exchanging them for visions of her body vibrating on the dance floor. _Why not make that a reality_? Downing her supposedly last drink, she slammed the empty cup down, drifting from her seat on gelatinous legs. They carried her to the dance floor. Her asari dress fit her body like a glove, with feather light material that left very little to the imagination. The front part concealing her neck only to leave space above her breasts exposed. The sides exposed the sides of her breasts and traced down to her hips in a diamond cut design. Her back was only covered by three straps. The dress ended just past her thigh.

The music was at its best and the men of her species were drawn to her like white on rice. She settled for an older gentleman who looked well off. He was wearing an eloquent suit that was accented with black and white. The man reminded her of James Bond. He even had some black shades to complete the look.

Her and James Bond danced the night away, or at least until they heard the dreadful 'last call for alcohol' announcement.

He offered to take her home, but Shepard refused. No men tonight. All she wanted when she returned to her apartment was the darkness. Rubbing her stomach, it had been doing cartwheels for a few days now, possibly weeks. Shepard couldn't quite recollect, with all the booze she'd been downing and the bounties she'd been collecting.

She was saving up for vid school; maybe become a director or at least an actress. The ride home was a lonely, yet peaceful one. Shepard struggled to get to the right apartment, refusing any aid from the asari cab driver. Once she got into her apartment, Shepard tossed her omni tool to the counter, it landed in the sink, unintentionally.

"I'll get it later." She lazily promised her drunken self.

Moving for the fringe, light cascaded the dimly lit space, now with cold air dancing at her in a downward motion. She was hungry, but not in the mood to cook. A few fish sticks warmed up in the oven didn't constitute as cooking.

Suddenly the sound of a cup slamming down on the counter snapped her to attention. A tall dark silhouette cut out of the dimness with jagged angles and stunning blue eyes bore down on her.

"Alisha, had a good time tonight?" the dual harmonics of raspy vocals had Shepard in a frozen death grip.

Alisha, a name Shepard hadn't gone by in years; the refrigerator door hanging open to provide an ambience of white light. Her hand still brandished a box of precooked fish sticks. The figure moved closer. As he moved closer, Shepard back up until her back was met by the wall. Cornered, Shepard could only swallow hard as the figure took the box from her hand.

"Still eating like a pig, I see." His cybernetic eyes swam over the contents of the box before placing it down on the counter.

With a tremble in Shepard's tired features, she attempted to form words. "Sss… Saren!"

"Ahhh, thought you'd forgotten about me. Your old capture… now look at you all grown up, facing the galaxy, one bullet at a time!" he spoke with giddy. "I can't believe how much you've grown. Seems like just yesterday, you were strapped to my bed post…"

"What the hell do you want?" her voice trembled with fear; sharks swimming in her stomach.

The dark, bare-faced turian was dress down in a simple two piece suit housed in bland colors. He was dressed too casually for Shepard's comfort.

"For now, to get my dick wet." He stated bluntly before motioning his hands over the clasps of his pants.

Shepard eyed her set of cutting knives.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Saren casually spoke as he removed his shirt. He dropped it on the floor, moving closer to her.

Shepard gripped the wall, wishing that it would just swallow her up, but it did not. The refrigerator door suddenly closed by Saren's talons, silencing the white light. Now Shepard was blanketed by complete darkness, except for the yellow lights near the exit.

Saren was so close that she could smell his rustic Earthy smell. His scent forced painful memories that she had previously locked away, now were to the foreground of her mind. She saw herself as a teenager again, tied to a bed post, stripped down naked by grimy batarians. The room was bright yet plain. Many beings all of different species, including human filled the space, placing bets on her as if she were cattle.

Reaching up to touch her face, she flinched. His cyber eyes blinked, unmoved by her reaction to him. "Now Alisha, we can do this the hard way, or we can do this the not so hard way."

She sat in a temporary coma of fear as the visions of her disobedience played like a horror vid in her mind. Eventually, her hand snaked up her shoulder, undoing the clasp on her neck. The entire dress fell to reveal her body, only concealed by lingerie.

"Victoria's Secret: Nighttime Naughties Collection, spring catalogue, page forty-seven… nice." Saren complemented. "And you got it in my favorite color, black. Were you thinking of me when you ordered this?" His joke was ignored. "Well, I guess it's straight to business then, huh?"

Shepard's eyes were cast to the side, not daring to look upon his face. She felt his much larger arms wrangle her hips harshly. Her body pressed against his. Shepard's face hit the biomechanics that held his jaw in place.

Saren caressed her body with his rough talons, feeling her buttocks, her hips; and tilting her head to the side to expose her neck. Her body trembled in his grasp. He inhaled deeply against her pulse.

"With one bite, I could end your life, Alisha! Remember that." Saren warned as he neared the vulnerable skin.

"So why don't you?" Shepard snapped back.

"I just might." Saren rebounded, just before sinking his teeth into her neck.

"Aaaaaaah," Shepard cried in pain. She tried to pry him from her neck but she was no match for his strength.

The blood rushing in his mouth threw Saren into a psychotic frenzy. Crashing, the human up against the fridge, he sucked her blood for the longest minute of Shepard's life. Finally, prying himself off of her, she was worn down by the blood loss.

"Oh spirits." Saren sang with blood running down his mouth plates and down Shepard's neck.

He then grabbed her face, forcing her to look at him. Saren pressed his mouth plates against her lips, forcing his tongue into her mouth. His kisses were disturbingly human for a human-hating turian; pushing her to make out with him for several more minutes. She could feel his groin plates shifting and his erect penis emerging, pressing against her bellybutton.

Shepard moaned in distraught, trying to breath. Saren finally released her face, allowing her to gasp for air. It was only for a moment.

Saren grabbed her face again, "Okay Alisha, where do you want to do this… pick a spot, any spot?"

Her brain fished for options, anything that might get her out of this situation. There was none. Shepard's mind was like a blank canvas, only Saren could make her retort back to a child-like state. "Bed," Her mouth suddenly said.

"The bedroom." Saren sang with slightly labored breath; drunken from pheromones. "Ooo, does the bedroom bring back old memories of you and I?" he jived.

Scooping her up in his strong arms, he spoke. "Tell you what; we'll save the bedroom for last." Saren carried her through the apartment, not even glancing at his surroundings. This gave her the impression that he had been here before. "Me being such a romantic and all."

Her skin crawled as he whispered into her ear. "Well start on the couch." He dropped her down on the couch like a toy. Her body bounced with the motion. As he sat down, she got up. Saren activated the music and dim lighting in the living room using HIS omni tool. Saren had her access codes on his omni tool! Shepard's eyes widened with the revelation.

Saren sat back on the ultra-plush cushion. "Aaaah… strip for me, Alisha." Saren demanded in a whisper.

She stood there for a moment like a scared little girl before he tilted his head to the coffee table in front of him. Shepard got up on the coffee table like a robot obeying orders. Her body then glided to the music, silky and tantalizing to Saren's cybernetic eyes; his erection growing with each move. Saren squirmed in his seat several times as Shepard's body moved. Different color lights cascaded over her tone body in ribbons. Shepard lost track of time, but eventually her hands swam with the rhythms, casting the straps of her bra off first to expose her perky breasts. Then she casted off her laced underwear.

Once she was fully nude, Saren abruptly stood. He approached her. His pants were still on, only the front part undone. He grabbed Shepard off the tabletop as if she were weightless. Plopping her on the ground, he motioned with his head and a hand; pressing her downward. Shepard neared his now pulsing cock. She could feel the heat emanating from it. Pre-ejaculation clung to the large, rounded tip as Shepard pulled his pants down further. She positioned herself before taking him in her mouth.

Saren cast his head back, letting out a low and a much approving growl. His talons hooked the back of her scalp, guiding her head much more forcedly. Shepard moaned, not because she was enjoying it, but because it was instinct. Saren's mandibles spread into a grin, just before dropping to the couch. Shepard fell with him, never losing the rhythm. The buildup was slow, but eventually, Saren picked up the pace. Shepard could feel his end drawing near. She used her hands to hurry the process. Even though, the turian was in complete bliss; he always seemed to manage to stay in control.

The pace sped up even more, with Saren moaning like a human. With a few more pumps, Saren finally found his release, drowning Shepard's throat in hot, metallic, and sticky cum. It tasted bitter with a hint of pine. She swallowed as much of it as she could. He released several times in her mouth before finally letting her hair go.

"Uh… Alisha… spirits…! Damn that felt good!" Saren sat up.

Shepard was still clearing her face of his seed. He glanced down at her smaller form. Reaching downward, he snapped her to an upright position with one arm. He placed her wet spot over his heated dick and forced himself inside her. Shepard let out a very vocal moan filled with pleasure-pain.

"Damn, Alisha…" Saren trailed off as he hooked his talons into her hips. Guiding her body up and down, he fucked her mercilessly. Her hands braced against his scarred carapace.

If Shepard wasn't enjoying this, she was having a hard time trying to convince herself. Saren felt amazing. Unlike anyone else she had felt; Saren really knew what he was doing. Even Garrus fell short, giving her sex either pleasurably or forcefully. Saren was able to make rape and love mix harmoniously, driving a wave of confusing emotions through Shepard's mind.

She found herself bouncing on top of Saren while he sang her name in his native tongue. Her body was stained in salty sweat. With her body now fully his, he slammed into her a few more times, forcing her to climax, quite dramatically. Shepard screamed at the top of her lungs as she fell forward on Saren. Water saturated her eyes in the dark room. Sound began to return to her ears. She felt Saren's powerful body shift beneath her. He snaked around her weary form, pressing himself back into her. She didn't object, only moaning with drunken defeat. He started off slow, but rapidly picked up the pace as if in a panic to find his next release.

After several minutes of pounding into her hot core, Saren erupted. He pulled her head back, grinding his jagged hips; spooning his captive. His tongue lined her neck, where he had marked her. They stood like that until Shepard's legs could no longer support her.

Dropping to her knees, Saren caught her arm. He scooped her up in his arms, carrying her to the bed. When they got to the bed, he plopped her down on the edge while ravaging the majority of the sheets off the bed. He threw pillows to the ground like he owned the place.

Once the bed was to _his_ liking, Shepard crawled to the center with what little strength she had left. Saren joined her, hovering over her body. His domineering presence pressed her flat on her back. Switching gears, Saren kissed her almost lovingly. She looped her arms around his neck, stroking the tender spot beneath his fringe. Suddenly, he sat up, with her in his arms. They had sex in that position for most of the night, before ending with him on top, ramming into her like a beast. With Shepard's final climax, she passed out, purely exhausted. Saren could go a few more rounds, but he decided to go easy on the pathetic human. With a few more thrusts he came inside her for the last time that morning, rolling off of her; somewhat satisfied. Saren didn't sleep much, but sometime during the beginning of Shepard's coma, her body found its way wrapped around Saren's. He wrapped an arm around her, about to nest his face into the funny growth on her head called hair until the smell of blood reminded him of the wound he'd served her neck.

He cautiously got up, retrieving some medi-gel from his pants pocket. Shepard had medigel, but it minds well have been water, compared to the stuff Saren had. He returned to the bed, turning on one lonely light. Saren could see the lacerations of his pleasure all over Shepard's body.

"Squishy human." Saren hissed as he began to apply the medigel.

Shepard moaned with slight motions of her body to accompany her. Other than that, she was dead to the world. Once Saren finished with the medigel, he tossed it on the nightstand, carelessly. He turned off the light and snaked back into bed. His body was like resting next to a fire place. Shepard slid her arm back over his carapace as he drifted off to sleep.


	14. Some Calm Just Before the Storm

**Notes By Author**: Just a few more chapters and then I will do a sequel. I would like to thank everyone for their support/reviews. It's been fun.

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Shepard awoke to the crackling hiss of bacon; the signature smell of breakfast. Moaning as life rushed back into her weary body, her muscles protested with fire as she stretched. Glancing at the clock, it was 0700.

"Shit, Saren." She whined as she got out of bed. Shepard activated the shower, stepping in the moment the water was to her liking. As soon as she place one foot in the welcoming cascade of warm liquid…

"About time you're up!" Saren rasped right behind her ear.

"Aaaaah!" she jumped like a little girl seeing a spider in the shower. Her cheeks seethed with heated embarrassment. The turian flexed his mandibles slightly while dosing her with a narrowed glance to compliment her shame.

The human snaked in the small booth. Saren got in right behind her. Shepard's mind was tattooed with objection, but she dare not speak it. Saren glanced at her with his beautiful icy blue eyes, before running his scarred arm in the water.

"You should really consider getting a filter. Your water is hard from the high levels of calcium and magnesium. The Ran Pro 3 would be sufficient; using a triple koleen micro-crystal base-the same brand used to filter the water at the Presidium."

He blocked the water from Shepard. She stood behind him, crossing her arms over her chest. "This water is not nearly hot enough." He complained in the steamy ambiance that clouded most of their body.

He dowsed her shower caddy with a look of distain, not daring to touch her collection of fruity soaps. Clearly annoyed, Shepard unfolded her arms; breaking the awkward silence that she had previously clung to.

"Um, could you pass me my soap please?" she sounded like she was begging, which she hated. Only Saren could make her feel so vulnerable.

His cybernetic eyes remained shut as he rubbed his skin with the warm water. Holding a delay in response, he suddenly reached up to her shower caddy, snatching a random bottle off the shelf. He handed it to her. Shepard stared at the orange substance that was bound by thin plastic, for a moment. Coming out of her shell more, she decided to not let him win this round of control.

"… I… want the pink one." She stammered.

Saren's icy blue eyes finally opened. A cold glare rested on her for a moment, before dragging to the bottle. To her amazement, he didn't object. His intolerance was clearly noted by the way he slammed the orange bottle back on the shelf, picking up the _pink_ one instead; then handing it to her in a careless manner.

She took the bottle, ignoring his condescending body language. "Thank you." Shepard popped the top.

Immediately, Saren snorted. "I'll never understand why the asari and you primitive things try so hard to mask your natural scent with such chemicals: High concentrations of sodium chloride and sodium sulfates blended with oils that have obviously been diluted with alcohol; rendering their benefits practically useless." He shook his head before snorting at the scent again.

Shepard remained silent.

"That's going to dry your skin out." He addressed while his back was still to her. "That is if this water doesn't do the trick. Also, I couldn't help notice that you'd put on some weight: Less carbs and more lean protein, and double up on your vegetable and fruit intake; since you're not working out as much as you used to…"

Shepard's mouth gaped as her blood began to boil.

"I don't know why _your_ kind insists on consuming artificial foods that will only weaken your immune system, increase your heart rate, and slow your metabolism over time."

"Well not everyone has the luxury of having a cybernetic digestive system, Saren." She replied snidely as she rubbed the sweet scented liquid on to her skin. "Some of us actually have to chew our food, and in order to do that, we have to cook it."

Saren was on a permanent diet of liquefied chalk solution, no thanks to a blast that destroyed most of his intestines many years back. Shepard had never seen him eat actual food; feeding himself by pumping a brown, milky solution directly into his stomach.

Saren didn't show any reaction to her comment; instead he sniffed at the water for the umpteenth time. "There's too much chlorine in this water… enough to bleach a Yog. Your species has much to learn." touching on the turian and asari method for purifying water, again.

On a heavy intake of air, she replied, "Well, if you don't like the water Saren, then you can get the fuck out of the bathroom so I can finish taking my shower!"

He froze; finally turning to face her.

"Can you move? I'd like to take a shower here!" Shepard glared at him, while rubbing her arms with the soapy solution.

There was a choking silence between them before he motioned, almost unnaturally toward her. Shepard could help but flinch as he now stood within breaths of her face. Eyeing the damage he had previously did to her neck, Saren moved closer. His talons bit at her wet hair, jerking her head back harshly. Shepard shrieked, gripping the soap harder. After what could've easily been seen as a moment of hesitation on the turian's part, he traced the curve of her neck with his prehensile tongue.

Shepard couldn't swallow the heated moan that snaked from her mouth. There was a guttural noise like a distant roar from a lion, bellowing from Saren's sub-vocals. She had never heard of such a noise birth from him before. Her heart rate accelerated as her breath hitched in the choking fog.

The next thing she felt was her leg being lifted as if weightless in Saren's grip. He plates had already shifted and released her hair, driving himself deep into her with no warning.

"Uh…" Shepard whined. Gripping his shoulders; he pushed her flat against the wall as he thrust.

Saren let out another growl, nipping at her collar bone with determination. His cybernetic eyes gazed at her shocked face, beaded with steam. Shepard glanced down at him, pressing her lips suddenly on his mouth plates. The human-hater kissed her back like a human, slipping his tongue into her mouth.

Her grip on his shoulders, shifting around his carapace, tightened. Saren grunted as he hammered into her.

She suddenly remembered within the steamy void: "Breakfast!"

"On… low." Saren strained before nipping her chin.

She moaned even louder, wrapping her other leg around the dip in his waist. The two glided off of each other for several minutes, desperately trying to find their releases. With their current position becoming more taxing, Saren yanked out of her. Turning Shepard over on a dime, he took her from behind. Pounding into her feverishly, Shepard could only brace herself against the wall.

She felt every bit of his length threatening to split her in two. Shepard cried as he Saren picked up even more speed, gouging her sides with his talons. Blood wept from the wounds, mingling with the steam that curtained their bodies. Suddenly and violently, Shepard succumbed to her release. Her body convulsed as her vision faded in and out. She screamed briefly before collapsing against the wall, with Saren still pounding into her.

Several minutes later he eased up, only because her whimpering had become irritating. Unlike any normal male, Saren could creep away from his desires no matter how pleasurable. Disconnecting from the entire affair, he let a now sore Shepard slide down the wall while he exited the shower. Yes, he was mad, but what could he expect from a human?

After a while, she recuperated from her ordeal. When she finally emerged from the bedroom, Saren was fully dressed in his civvies, typing away on his omni tool while he stood near the door. Walking noticeably funny, Shepard cleared her throat, catching his attention.

She felt compelled to apologize for not making him cum but the words couldn't come out. Saren dark presence sat on her like an elephant; even though his eyes remained on his omni tool. "I'm…," _sorry_.

"You should eat your breakfast—I have business that I need to attend to."

"Will I see you later?" Shepard sounded desperate.

Saren's eyes finally left his omni tool. He gazed or scowled at her, it was hard for her to tell. His face seemed to be pulled back in a permanent frown.

"Don't get your hopes up human; remember I just came here to get my dick wet."

Saren briskly padded toward the door. Once his presence was no more, Shepard maneuvered into the kitchen. Peering at the warm bacon, scrambled eggs with cheese, and surprisingly round pancakes; this just reiterated the fact that Saren was a perfectionist with everything he did. Every pancake was perfectly round. She dotted one of them with her finger, testing its warmth. After filling her plate, she ate.

Halfway through breakfast, that was when it hit her.


	15. A Couple of Drinks, Some Drugs, and Sex

**Notes by Author**: I don't know where this story is going so I'm just along for the ride. Enjoy! Thanks for all the reviews.

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While gripping her gut, a storm of electric shards of glass sliced through her body, commencing from her midsection. She found herself reaching for the wall only to collapse against it. Falling to her knees, Shepard winced bitterly with tears drawing from her eyes. A heavy, wetness gave way, soaking her lower half in moisture. With a shaky hand, Shepard pressed her fingertips against the liquid, drawing back blood.

"Shit." She whimpered. Another jolt of pain ran through her, causing Shepard to groan in agony as she sagged against the barrier.

Weariness took a hold of her as she sank even further in misery. Labored breath seemed to be her only solace. The throbbing pain tore through her body for several long minutes; until fear gave way to anger. Shepard gritted her teeth, noting that she had to get to her omni tool. As much as she hated going to the doctor—her rule was: She had to be half dead in order to go.

_I think this qualifies_!

* * *

Garrus stared lazily at the shot posed in front of his azure eyes. Beyond that, he captured glimpses of the asari dancer, bending, rolling; twisting her body with a wanting desire—her attention prowling on him.

His right mandible twitched slightly, as if whispering her to approach. She did so while worshiping the electric waves of seduction, cascading the atmosphere.

Tilting his carapace back with anticipation, the asari crawled onto his table, snaking her limbs around his drink with expert precision. He watched as she maneuvered on rhythmic wings from his table to his lap. She plotted down on him, rolling her hip with a braced hand against the bulk of his shoulder. Garrus shifted in his seat, not able to suppress a greedy hiss. Gripping her hips, she messaged the back of his skull, causing him to drum another voracious sound.

"Spirits." His strained with yearning groin plates.

"Rough night?" she sang while straddling his lower half.

Garrus threw his head back, gripping the dancer's bare thighs harder. "More like… a rough couple of… _weeks_," his voice strangling the last word.

"Wanna talk about it?" she ran an intrusive hand underneath his shirt, drawing a line of flames between the dents of his plated stomach.

"Shit…" Garrus struggled, bringing his head back to her, only to be met by two perky breasts. "No." his mouth managed. "I'd rather talk about you… and how you can make me forget about all the shit I've been through."

The girl drew her tongue along one of his vulnerable mandibles before whispering. "I can do that."

"Not here though." Garrus suddenly proclaimed.

With the dots already connected she replied. "I get off in an hour."

He thin nipped her in the neck, solidifying their deal.

Within an hour, Garrus was back at his apartment, roughly nipping at the asari's neck and shoulder. Her drunken arms were enveloped around his carapace, savagely welcoming the turian's forceful nips of lust. It took him several tries to punch in the correct pin to get into his apartment. Once inside, he slammed the door shut before scooping the asari up with both hands. Carrying her down the small steps to his living room, she suddenly stopped.

Pushing away from him she replied in a breathy drunken haze, "Wait." Settling away from his grip, she reached in her pants pocket to retrieve some hallex pills. Sliding one on that incredible tongue of hers, she sang. "You want one?"

Garrus watched her for a moment before taking up her offer. Scooping her back in his arms, he pressed his mouth plates against hers, driving a hungry tongue into her warm mouth. He took the pill from her, swallowing it with a satisfied hum.

She took another one, before ravaging his mouth plates again. He moved clumsily through his apartment as if he had forgotten the way to his bedroom. Several objects were knocked over during his attempt. Articles of clothing decorated the path of lust they drew as they progressed.

Dipping her head back with submission, the asari moaned, "Ah, what's your name again?"

The turian broke from her neck rasping heavily, "Garrus." He then returned to his assault, tearing the last bits of clothing from his body: Due to the angle he held the asari in; she was incapable of rendering him completely naked.

"Oh spirits…" Garrus chimed as he tossed her on to his angled bed. His plates below had already shifted to their fullest to reveal a silky length of meat that was angled like an arrow—stiff and fleshy; pulsing with worm-like veins that squirmed with desire.

"Nice." The stripper sang as she crawled back.

With the hallex already fucking his senses to oblivion, he stumbled toward the bed, practically falling on top of the woman. She giggled while pulling him by his now sensitive fringe. It was an attempt to help him up. Once on top of her, the giggling asari rested back—the drug finally hitting her as well.

His penis pressed against the only fabric barrier between him and utter bliss—her laced panties. He traced his warm prehensile tongue along the curve of her neck before traveling down to a single breast. Flicking her hardened nipple with his tongue, the woman's body arched, begging him for more. He nipped her abs, leaving a faint trail of saliva as he voyaged to her panties. Once there, the hallex prevented him from being gentle.

Garrus slowly turned her on her side. Slightly discombobulated on how to remove the article, he hooked the lace with a deadly talon, ripping it from her well-rounded ass. The asari gasped with the fierce motion before she was rolled on to her back again. Gliding back up her body, the turian pinned her wandering arms down with is hands.

Still showing her neck as a sign of submission, Garrus drew his tongue on the exposed skin before driving his shaft deep into the woman's body. Her body arched again, a yelp running from her mouth. She sealed her eyes shut as Garrus pounded into her. He couldn't suppress the demonic growl that erupted from his drugged out vocals.

Her skin radiated with a faint biotic glow as Garrus savagely took her. Switching from an up and down motion to a circular one, he was desperate to find his release. The asari bit down on her lip, trying to suppress a moan. The bed rocked violently with the head board beating the wall into submission. Finally releasing his mate's arms, she was able to wrap them around his neck.

No longer able to muffle her ecstasy, she hummed loudly with each thrust. Perspiration birthed traced the turian's forehead, parts of his back, neck, and pelvic region, as well as the asari. He picked up the pace, driving into her like an animal, nipping her collar bone before meeting her neck again.

Her body arched as her peek neared. Loud sounds erupted form Garrus' mouth. His talons ravaged the bed sheets as the asari wrapped a leg around his waist. As he continued to crash his shaft into her wet, heated core, sweat began to run down his body. With a few more primal thrusts, the asari howled her release, vibrating underneath him with her nails digging into his plated back. Garrus stilled to admire his handy work. Her body was arched into his with her eyes rolling in the back of her skull. She was soaked with a brew of his and her sweat, and hints of her blood.

"Oh… Goddess!" she sang.

Her body sank back down with the riptides of labored breath to accompany her. She opened her eyes with Garrus still inside her. She suddenly pushed up on his moist carapace, rolling him over on to his back. She rolled her hips, picking up the momentum that Garrus once had. He clasped his hands around her waist once more, now the victim of his own need for release. Moving her flexible body just as she had done while at the club; she pulled Garrus to his climax. His claws dug into her soft flesh, mandibles spread wide, and eyes sealed shut as he shot his hot seed into her. The asari fell back as another wave of orgasm crashed through her body. Garrus' penis pulsed within her for several long minutes, before finally subsiding.

"Spirits… fuck," Garrus slid her body from him as he recovered.

Garrus and his mate relaxed on the bed with the hallex still reeling in their veins, urging their exhausted bodies to continue. The asari had her violet arm splayed across Garrus' carapace.

"Do you want me to go?" She hummed, still catching her breath.

It took him a few moments to reply. "No, you can stay the night." He uttered as sleep constricted his senses.

She pecked the side of his face with her lips before lying back down in utter blissful defeat. They slept peacefully until the next morning.


	16. Ice Ice Baby

**Notes by Author: **I do want to admit that I am drawing some inspiration from the movie Baby Boy; still don't know where this story is headed. I know I said a few more chapters, so I'm just going to enjoy the ride. Thank you to everyone who has posted reviews. Keep them coming.

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Shepard didn't even try to be discrete when hacking Garrus' door. Once inside her senses were bum-rushed by the putrid stains of possibly every alcoholic bottle in the galaxy contrasting the front entrance. Her face twisted with disgust as she sauntered carefully through the bottle field. The hum of the fridge gripped her attention, only greeting her eyes with the sight of two vorcha legs lingering out of the open refrigerator.

Several beings of human, asari, and vorcha were splayed around the living room, painting her mind in a scene out of a college frat house. The smell of hard booze stung her nose as if her nostrils were held right under the bottle. Wisps of snoring captured her ears as she continued to make her way through the apocalyptic disaster that was once a decent apartment.

Stepping over several sleeping bodies, Shepard eventually made it into the master bedroom where a certain turian was fast asleep. Attached to him at the mid-section was a violet asari with very soft features; drawing her as a young asari like Liara.

Shepard stopped at the foot of the bed, folding her arms across her chest with disgust and some anger. She could see empty hallex containers cluttering the two nightstands that were rooted on opposite sides of the bed. Red sand capsules were present too.

"Fucking drug addict." She huffed. Nearing Garrus—she had to step over yet another sleeping person. She tapped his arm with her hand. "Garrus wake up."

His body was stiff as if freeze-framed in the moment after complete ecstasy. It wasn't fair. While she had been going to the clinic only to have a bombshell dropped on her, Garrus has been partying hard.

"Garrus." Shepard tapped him harder. "Garrus!" She slapped the side of his face.

Garrus moaned in defeat before trying to cuddle with the obviously naked asari on his mid-section. Her lower half was vaguely covered by a single silk sheet that was a few shades lighter than her skin.

"Get up Garrus." Shepard shook his head again.

"Pull that bottle out your ass ho. This ain't Purgatory!"

Sheperd wrinkled her brow. "What… Garrus get up! Now." She shoved him a few more times.

Garrus opened his eyes. The blurry figure that stood before him seemed so familiar, yet he couldn't quite make him or her out. "The Prize?" Garrus mumbled with weary eyes that threatened to seal themselves from the world.

"_The_ _Prize_? No this ain't _The_ _Prize_. It's me Shepard."

"Oh fuck." Garrus groaned as he attempted to turn toward the asari.

"Garrus, we need to talk." She exclaimed with uncertainty.

"To borrow a phrase from Miranda: Talk to the hand!" He turned on his side slightly before his fringe was shoved forward.

"This is serious, Garrus. I really need to talk to you now, so will you please get up… please?"

Garrus turned back over, focusing on her. She was still a wavy blur but now he was starting to make out small details. "Give me a few minutes." He spoke with a yawn.

Shepard stood up. "I'll be… in the living room." She replied lowly.

In the living room, she searched for a comfortable space to sit. There was none. Several bodies were spread from the couches to the floor. One vorcha was wrapped in the drapes for the patio door. Shepard grabbed the leg of someone sleeping on the couch. She pulled him off causing him to hit his face on the floor. The man did not budge.

Shepard spat sarcastically as she used his body for a foot rest. Her ears captured the sound of the shower, assuming it was Garrus. She played on her omni tool to pass the time. Before she knew it, Garrus emerged from the pit of raunchy sex, stepping clumsily through his apartment. She glanced up at him with perplexity. She didn't know where to begin.

Garrus stared at her blankly. Finally breaking the awkward silence he asked, "What did you want?"

Shepard glanced around, realizing how not private his apartment had become. Meeting his piercing blue eyes again, she answered, "Can we get some breakfast first?"

"Shepard don't play games with me." Garrus replied stiffly, folding his arms over his chest.

She stood up slowly, snaking over to him. "I'm serious, Garrus. I have something to tell you, but I'd feel better if I had some breakfast in me."

"Whatever you have to say, just say it."

"I will… after we get something to eat?" Garrus hissed with impatience. "Please."

Garrus shook his head. "This better be damn important, Shepard."

"It is." She whispered. After a short pause she proclaimed, "Come on, let's hail a cab."

* * *

The ride to the Presidium was a quiet one. Once they arrived at the café, Shepard handled the seating arrangements. The café was not crowded which she was thankful for because Shepard didn't feel like dealing with a lot of people. They were positioned in a corner. Garrus ordered the strongest cup of coffee on the Citadel while Shepard ordered a glass of water before ordering her food. As they sat waiting for their food, Garrus popped a cigarette between his mouth plates.

Shepard quirked an eyebrow. Noticing her stare Garrus spat, "What?"

"Nothing…, it's just that I didn't know that you smoked. I mean I've never seen you with a cigarette…"

Garrus puffed sardonically as he searched his various pockets for a lighter. "Why don't humans ever just say what they mean?" He whipped out a lighter, igniting the tip of the cigarette.

"What are you talking about?"

Garrus took a puff before responding. "You know damn well what I'm talking about." He took another puff before continuing. "You say you have something important to tell me, then you waste time talking about my damn cigarette—cut the bullshit Shepard and tell me why we're really here?"

"We're here to have breakfast." She said coyly.

Garrus spat sarcastically before relieving his cigarette of some ashes. Then he motioned to get up.

"Wait," Shepard grabbed his hand. "Please don't go."

Garrus refused to look her in the eye, or he tried not to.

"I'll tell you." Here voice was trembling. He settled back into his seat.

The server brought their food. Once the plate was in front of her, she ate quickly. Garrus didn't even touch the food on his plate. He eyed her impatiently.

After a few gulps, Shepard wiped her mouth before speaking. "Aren't you going to eat."

"Damn it Shepard!" Garrus banged on the table, startling her and gaining the attention of other patrons.

She placed the crumpled napkin on the table, waiting for the drama to subside. Once the extra eyes fell off of them, she began. "I'm… pregnant." Her words were nothing above a whisper.

"What?" Garrus was unsure he heard her right.

"I'm pregnant." She replied.

Garrus tilted back in his seat slightly. His eyes were fixed on her defeated form. Shepard couldn't even look him in the eye. A lengthy pause spanned between them. Shepard glanced up at him with eyes that were fishing for something… anything. Garrus held his silence with a slight flick of his mandibles making him damn near impossible to read.

Shame, fear, anxiety, pain; whatever she was feeling was replaced by aggravation. There was a careless scowl that swam in his eyes.

"Well, aren't you going to say anything?"

Garrus lingered on a puff of his nicotine fix, lightly dabbing the ash from the end into an ash tray. "You're pregnant. So why are you telling me?"

Her face twisted in a frown. "_Why_ _am I telling you_—because you're…" she dropped her voice down; noting with her peripheral vision the prowling eyes of nosy patrons, "Because you're the father, Garrus."

He shifted vaguely in the plush seat, complementing the tension in their conversation. Spitting disdainfully Garrus replied, "I am not." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"You are." Shepard uttered, struggling to hold her composure. "You're the only one I've been with, besides…"

"Besides who?" Garrus made no effort to muffle his feelings for the now frail looking human.

Wanting to be completely honest-the bigger person, willing to let bygones be bygones; she told him the truth. "There was one other turian."

"One?" Garrus fished with a mocking tone. "Just one?"

"Yes Garrus, only one."

Garrus finished his cigarette before discarding the remains. "I don't know which tale I find more humorous, the fact you claim you've only been with one other guy besides me, or the fact that you're trying to pin a baby on me that _clearly_ isn't mine!"

He was about to speak again when she reached into her purse, pulling out a data pad. She threw it at him scornfully. Garrus caught the pad close to his chest. He glanced at it while she took a swig of her water in an effort to cool down. He skimmed through the contents before tossing the data pad back at her in a similarly biting tone.

"Okay, so you really are pregnant, but I still don't see why you're telling me."

"I went to see Doctor Michel, you ass." Shepard sneered. "Biometric scan confirms that the fetus is a turian. Due to my other partner's… _condition_, Doctor Michel and I were able to rule him out. That leaves you."

"Condition? What condition?"

Shepard grew quiet with the feeling that he was trying to change the subject. "Not your concern, Garrus. All you need to know is that the doctor and I were able to rule him out."

He glanced away with his mandibles stiffening to his face.

"You're the father, Garrus." She sat up in her seat trying to sound a little bit more upbeat. Reaching for his hand that was clinching slowly with anger; Garrus jerked back suddenly.

"I am not the father of… that _thing_!" He activated his omni tool.

Shepard distanced herself while flabbergasted by his character. "What are you doing?"

"Paying for my meal."

"It's on me." Shepard began.

"No!" he blurted out. "I got it, because I know this is one of your ancient ploys to get money, so here I'll pay for breakfast, and I'll pay you some money so that you can stay the fuck out of my life… permanently. Because that's how it always is with you, Shepard. It's always about you."

"It's about us…"

"There is no us!" Garrus yelled. Nosy onlookers began to whisper about them. He got up from his seat, storming out of the café.

Shepard chased after him. "Garrus, Garrus, wait!" Grabbing his arm, he whirled around. "Look, I get it. You're still mad about your gun…"

He cut her off again. "It's not just about the gun, Shepard. It's about you always there to make my life a living hell. You're immature and egotistical. Not to mention a fucking whore who will do anything, and anyone to get what you want."

She snidely huffed. "Are you done?"

"Yeah Shepard, I'm done. I was done a long time ago."

"Good. My turn." Garrus turned to walk away. She grabbed his arm again, commanding his attention. "You're a self-centered asshole who's also a junky, and a _rapist_." She made sure to say that last word flamboyantly.

Garrus' mandibles twitched, clearly a sign of his diminishing composure.

"I'm outta here." He hissed, shrugging his arm from her grip.

"That's right rapist walk away. It's what human men and turian men do best when confronted with a truth they can't handle."

Garrus whipped back around. "Fuck you, Shepard. You fucking deserved it—what you said about my mother…! You crossed the line."

Many watchful eyes rested on the pair. Shepard and Garrus seemed oblivious to them all. "_I crossed the line_! You crossed the line when you…" Shepard retracted the digit she pointed at Garrus, gripping her stomach, wincing at the pain.

Garrus watched her for a brief moment, toying with the guilt he tried so desperately to burry under weeks of alcohol, drugs, and sex. He hesitantly drew nearer to her. Placing a hand on her should, she snapped up with enough force to shove him back.

"Don't touch me, rapist."

Garrus glanced around, recapturing his surroundings. "Look… let me help you."

"I don't need your fucking help." She barked. The pain in her womb was throbbing, slicing, grinding, twisting; her efforts to walk were greatly saturated. She couldn't help but slouch over as she tried to walk.

"Let me just take you back to your apartment." Garrus attempted while trying not to show too much concern.

"Fuck you." Shepard strained before gritting her teeth. They had been making a scene, but now it was down-right ridiculous: Shepard's folded body, struggling to stand upright again.

Garrus had to beat his pride back down with an iron rod before attempting to assist her again. "You should go to the clinic."

"Fuck you, I'm not going to no clinic. I was just there yesterday."

She had wanted him to take a DNA test. That was the whole purpose of her inviting him to breakfast. Now with all the pain returning, the only thing she wanted to do was find rest, anywhere that she could. The idea of how hard this was going to be was still boiling in her head.

Her thoughts were running rampant in her mind when she suddenly felt Garrus strong warm arms wrap around her top half. She wanted to protest. She wanted to slap him some more, call him a rapist; yet in that moment she felt something that she had never felt before: A connection. It was as if her broken, shattered world had been glued back together. There was still a bitterness in her mouth—at the thought of the person who hurt her severely now aiding her.

* * *

They arrived back at her apartment on neutral dialogue, and agonizing pain on Shepard's end. He opened the door and led her to the couch. Unlike his apartment, hers was significantly smaller, but a hell of a lot cleaner.

Placing her down on the couch, Garrus asked, "You need some water… or something?"

"Yeah," she breathed out. "I need a triple shot of Tequila."

Garrus cocked his head, flickering his mandibles slightly.

"I'm kidding, Garrus." She spoke candidly while rubbing her mid-section.

Garrus went to her kitchen to fetch her a glass of water. Upon his return, he remained upright, not wanting to get comfortable. She sensed what he was doing. Drinking the water quickly, the pain slowly retracted.

"Feeling better?" Garrus uttered, not focusing on her.

"What do you care?"

He remained silent for a moment with his arms folded in front of his carapace. "Well I need to be going now." He sang. There was a hint of nervousness dwelling from within him.

Shepard was staring past her cup when she suddenly said, "Garrus, you can go to the clinic and get a DNA test if you don't believe me."

"Shepard, I'm not doing this."

She placed the glass down with a hard clink against the coffee table. "Not doing what," glaring at him?

"This." He hissed in response. "I meant what I said. I want you out of my life."

Shepard glanced away from him.

"Look, there's this private account I've had for years. There's over twenty thousand credits in there…"

"This is not about money." Shepard stood up as the pain alleviated even more. "This isn't about you or me anymore. This is about a baby… our baby…!"

"Your baby." Garrus corrected.

"_Our_ baby—Garrus just take the DNA test."

"I don't need a DNA test to confirm what I already know."

"That you're a dumbass punk that's man enough to take a life but not man enough to take care of one!" Shepard had gotten up in his face. They weren't at eye level but she stared him down.

Garrus looked away from her, disconnecting. "I gotta go." He motioned toward the door. Unfortunately Shepard beat him to it.

Pinning her back against the exit, she exclaimed, "You're not going anywhere."

"Bitch, these are the things I'm talking about!" Not wanting to touch her, he tried intimidation. "Move." His face was a heartbeat away from hers.

"Why are you running away? What are you so afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid of anything, now move!

"Take the test."

Garrus sighed loudly. "For the last time, I'm not taking any damn test; now get the fuck out of my way before something bad happens."

"Like what? You gonna rape me again; the woman that's carrying your child?"

He glanced away before responding. "For the last time, I am not the father. Now you have five seconds to move your ass from that door." Garrus hissed.

Shepard folded her arms over her chest.

"Five… four…"

"The baby is yours you son of a bitch."

"Three…" Garrus' eyes flickered with a deadly promise.

"I'm not moving until you agree to take the test."

"Two…"

Shepard remained steeled.

"One…"

There was an intimidating pause before Shepard spat, "Fuck you!"


	17. What Happens At A Turian's Apartment

**Notes by Author:** In response to Concept Artist, I believe my last author note stated that I didn't now where this story was going anymore, I'm just along for the ride. The fact that Shep keeps using the rape card-she's playing the victim. Yes she did rape him, but there is a double standard with that, and she would never admit that what she did to him was rape, and Garrus being a man would not admit it to himself, not that he remembers all of it anyway. However, I appreciate an articulate point of view; let's me know what I need to work on. After all, I do want to be a professional writer.

Lastly, Garrus' drug use as well as Shepards; I will elaborate on. I wouldn't consider the drugs a downfall yet. That would be categorized as a person's inability to function without the use of the narcotic. I'm trying to stray away from the typical Mass Effect Garrus where he is either viewed as a Teddy Bear or Archangel-badass that helps the weak... Just tired of all the typical ME fanfics that seem to follow one path. If you've played the game then you've read 80 percent of the fanfics.

An alert to all the rest of the readers: This chapter is very upbeat but I feel that the train will be back on the tracks soon enough. As always, thank you for the reviews and enjoy.

* * *

"_Fuck me_… bitch, fuck you!" Garrus snatched the limb she fired at his midsection. With her leg in his grasp, he jerked her from the door.

Shepard attempted to punch him, but dodged the fierce blow. Dropping her leg, he wrapped his arms around her top-half with the intention on throwing her out of his way. He did so, sending her body against a wall. Upon seeing her fall, Garrus ran his talons over the back of his skull shamefully. She recovered in an instant. He turned to toward the exit only to have Shepard spring on to his back like a pyjack. Securing her forearm underneath his mandibles, she jerked back with all her might.

"Fucking asshole!" her voice strained.

Garrus spun with her on his back; feral limbs swinging. "Crazy… ass bitch." He managed to choke out.

They spun into the table, knocking it over along with Shepard's groceries from the night before. Falling to the floor with a loud thud, her grip loosened from around his neck. Rolling away from her, Shepard attempted to slap-scratch him.

"Get off me!" Garrus hissed.

Shepard snatched the first thing she could throw as he escaped her deadly limbs. Garrus threw up his arms to block the projectile. The bag of flour exploded on contact, blanketing him in white. Garrus paused. Mystified, he shook some of it off, coughing within the dust.

Breathing heavily, she sat up. Upon seeing his reaction, she began to laugh. Garrus' mandibles were spread as he held his arms in front of him trying to decipher what sort of trickery this was.

"What the hell is this?" Spitting, he replied, "Ug, I got some in my mouth."

Shepard spoke between laughter. "It's… flour you… nut." She leaned back against the wall that sectioned off the kitchen.

"Flour?" Garrus twitched again. His primal senses were going berserk, so it was up to his logical sense unravel the woven tapestry of perplexity. Garrus' sneeze was animal like, causing white powder to flee from him.

Shepard laughed even harder.

"Oh, you think that's funny?" Garrus exclaimed.

She was laughing so hard she couldn't respond. His eyes roamed the spilled contents. Settling on a brown bottle, he picked it up, ripping the top off. Shepard was still caught up in a laughing frenzy when she suddenly felt thick liquid streaming down the side of her face. She froze with her eyelids retracting and mouth gaping.

Glancing up, Garrus was standing directly over her, pouring chocolate syrup over her head.

With a gasp she said, "You… bastard."

"Not so funny now is it?" Garrus sang with the flex of his mandibles, the human equivalent to a smirk.

"Oh, you're gonna pay for that." Her hand grabbed a jar of mayonnaise.

Garrus knew what that was; the most wretched, putrid smelling thing to crawl out of the galaxy since batarian slavers. He had tried some on a dare while hanging out with Jacob 'The Prize' Taylor.

Opening the jar quickly, Garrus was already in the living room. "Oh no, Shepard… No! No! Don't… not that! Please don't."

She darted toward him with a nicely sized glop of white resting on her palm. Garrus and Shepard ran around the couch before he cut to the bathroom. She was on his heels as they tore through the bathroom that leads to the bedroom. She hurled the blob of mayo at his fringe.

"Ew!" She had never heard Garrus sound so girly.

He wiped off the mayonnaise as feverishly as his hand would allow. Smearing the excess on his pants, he ducked as she hurled more at him. Not realizing how close she was, Garrus tackled her to the ground. The mayonnaise jar was sent rolling. She kept laughing at the way he snorted, still affected by the flour.

He had her pinned down but as the glowing moment faded, their minds retracted to the bitter reason that lead up to this moment. Garrus sank from her.

"I… should be going."

Feeling defeated, she sat up against the bedframe. She wanted to agree but instead what came out was unexpected. "Garrus," she began, "… I don't want to fight anymore." She started rubbing her belly.

"I just…" she couldn't get the words out. _What am I saying_? Her mouth motioned but no words spilled out.

Garrus had been motioning like he wanted to stand up, but upon hearing her words, tasting the plea buried within, he sat back down.

"Nothing's really mattered to me before." Her eyes trailed past him, past the four corners that encompassed them. Still rubbing her belly, something reeled her back to him.

His mind spoke. _Money has_.

"If you wanna stay in the dark about this… then fine." Turning her head with her hand still gliding over her flat stomach she continued, "I just thought that you should know." There was a quiver in her tone hinting at a build of emotions threatening to spill.

Garrus grabbed her face, lightly turning it towards him. He leaned over then pressing his mouth plates upon her lips. Simultaneously, he smeared the chocolate from the side of her cheek. The kiss was slow and apologetic. He then pulled away, releasing her face.

"Take care of yourself." He rose on his feet. Now towering over her, he offered her a hand. She took it. When she stood, the heat between them was so incredibly thick that it could've melted all the ice on Noveria.

He brushed his digit down her chin before breaking away from her; the enemy. Garrus exited her apartment, ordering a cab to take him back home. There was an emptiness coiled around his jagged body. Being a turian, he was taught to swallow his emotions. _You're a soldier_. It was time for him to return to duty. Then why couldn't he get her off his mind? As Garrus sat in the cab, he pressed his talons against his temple. Patting his pockets, Garrus realized that he had no more cigarettes.

"Damn."

* * *

Back at his apartment, Garrus was hit by a voluminous stench of hard partying. It was enough to put club Afterlife to shame.

"Shit." He spat as his eyes were pierced by the sight of a floor coated in bottles and cans. His fridge lay open with the legs of a dirty vorcha poking out. There were two people sitting at his bar. Their conversation broke as he entered. The female human and the male vorcha glanced at the turian.

"Hey, like are you here for the party?" The female human inquired as she brushed some blond locks from her face. "Because if you are, you're like super early."

"Yah, the party no start till midnight." The vorcha added with his graded voice.

Garrus' mandibles sat tightly against his face. "There will be no party."

The girl spat sarcastically, "Yeah, like whatever. Who are you supposed to be anyway?"

"I'm the guy that owns this place." Garrus hissed.

"This place yours?" the vorcha chimed the giddy.

"Wow, you must have like lots of money." The girl replied.

"Who let you guys in here?" Garrus asked with a spicy tone.

The girl rolled her eyes, "Some half naked krogan. Like two days ago, we got an alert on our omni tools about this totally awesome party at this address. So like a called up my boyfriend Shoi'sch, my best friend Gatty, and my other best friend Naul. Then she called up her best friend Ian and his brother Rynol…"

"Well the party's over, it's time for you all to leave." Garrus stormed to the kitchen.

"Okay, but can we take snacks?" The vorcha held up several goodies from Garrus' pantry.

Ignoring their question he seized the legs of the refrigerated vorcha instead. As he drug the comatose body out of the kitchen a krogan only wrapped in a towel emerged from the shower.

He had been using Garrus' back scrubber to brush his teeth. In his other hand he held a dark bar.

"Hey, this toothpaste tastes funny."

Dropping the sleeping vorcha's legs, he stormed over to the krogan, snatching what was actually turian soap. "That's because this isn't toothpaste, it's turian-grade soap."

"Hmm." The krogan replied with revelation.

"And that's my back scrubber." Garrus snatched the now ruined back scrubber from the krogan's other hand.

Suddenly some more commotion emanated from the master bedroom. Garrus stormed in to the room to see two children; one asari and one turian, sitting on the floor with a pack of crackers and dextro-levo jelly. They were watching a less than age appropriate vid while a man was lying down on his back, secured to the bed.

He had a blindfold masking his eyes, with some kind of balled gag strapped over his mouth. He was naked except for an antique that once rested on a shelf in the living room; now it covered his genitals.

The human moaned and struggled, but he was secured pretty well to what was left of Garrus' bed. Garrus dropped the back scrubber and the soap before ripping off the blindfold. He then removed the gag harshly.

On labored breaths the man spoke. "Thanks man. Now could you untie me, I really have to take a leak?"

Garrus did so while asking, "What happened to you, and where the hell is my mat."

"Me and this asari bitch were about to get it on, when she suddenly flipped the script—know what I'm saying?"

Garrus didn't know what the hell he was saying.

"Then her and this other girl tied me down, robbed me, and then left me here. Later I felt the mattress being removed from under me man. It was a trip."

"Big Mamma took it." The children added in unison.

Garrus glanced over the broken foot board at the two kids. Advancing on them delicately, he asked, "Who is Big Mamma?"

"She's our nanny." They both replied.

Garrus crouched down to their eye level. "And how long have you two been here?"

"Since yesterday." The turian boy replied.

"We were in the other room." The asari girl added as she pointed her finger toward the guestroom.

"And where did _Big_ _Mamma_ go?" Garrus had heard his fair share of weird human names but Big Mamma took the cake… literally, she took a whole cake before she made her exit with Garrus' mattress.

Both kids shrugged before returning to the pornographic vid. Garrus glanced up at the screen to see two naked men, one turian and one human, going all out on the equally naked asari; one from the front and one from the back.

Garrus quickly cut the screen off.

"Hey, we were watching that!" The asari girl wined.

"Erm, you kids shouldn't be watching that." Garrus began. "Do you know when _Big_ _Mamma_ will be back?"

The kids shook their heads.

"She didn't leave a number, or anything…?"

"Nope." They both spat.

"Turn the vid back on." The turian boy wined.

A noise from the living room drew Garrus' attention. He got up, running back into the other room to see what had happened now. The blonde headed female and the vorcha were still chatting up a storm while munching on Garrus' food.

A Geth and a quarian emerged from the guest room. The quarian's suit was obviously disheveled.

"Uh… It's not what it looks like… I mean… she came on to me." The quarian male pointed an accusing finger at the Geth painted with human make up. "She said she was twenty one…! Please don't tell my clan."

"Hey, anybody here named Fist-Pump Vega. He ordered a nacho-turkey pizza." A volus standing in the dining area suddenly asked with a wrapped box balanced on one palm.


	18. I Want Shepard

**Notes by Author:** Hey, I just wanted to thank everyone for their excellent remarks. This is probably my climax setting chapter-pretty short, a little rushed. Let me know what you think and enjoy!

* * *

The sound of heavy footsteps drummed through the metal corridor of the battle cruiser, making their way to the flight deck. Geth, turians, and batarians mingling on the flight deck suddenly stiffened as the beat of Saren's steps approached.

With the turn of the corner a batarian barked, "Commander on deck." His arm snapped into a salute as he spoke.

Everyone in the room snapped into a salute as Saren stalked by. Once he made it to the CIC he spat, "Carry on."

"Sir, General Tol Bantis is on vid-com."

"I'll take it in my quarters." Saren hissed as he took the data pad from the Navigational Specialist.

He disappeared to his quarters. Pulling out a bottle of turian brandy and a cup, he sat down in the chair facing a huge console that sectioned off the bedroom. After filling the glass half full, he activated the com.

"Spectre Arterius," A turian with grass-green face paint and heavily weathered features exclaimed.

Saren leaned back in his seat with the glass in one hand, not focusing on anything in particular. "General." He replied through guttural vocals.

"I didn't expect you back so soon—in citadel controlled space I mean."

Saren poured himself another glass. "Surprising what a well-placed nuclear explosion can do."

"I'm gonna pretend like I didn't hear that." General Tol exclaimed. A thread of static ran down the screen. "Spirits, if word got out about this, I'll be ruined."

Saren finally tossed a careless glance toward the much older turian on the screen.

"Rest assure General, nobody's going to miss a few human colonies. Especially being that far out in the Terminus Systems."

The General looked away before speaking, "Yeah, well I've got Primarch Victis breathing down my neck about avoiding another Relay 314 incident… I've got the press ridding my fucking mandibles everywhere I go… I got these human-loving asari bitches threatening to protest at all my campaigns…" he sighed heavily, not realizing that Saren had let ninety percent of what the General had said slip in one ear and out the next.

Humoring him, Saren asked dryly. "Speaking of which, how's the campaign?"

"With the humans now in fear of losing another colony, I think they'll finally get the message: Their kind is not welcomed outside of the Sol system."

"I agree." Saren replied with a venomous tone. "They're too rash, too pertinacious."

Saren spat sardonically.

"I mean who are they to demand a seat on the council?"

"They just need someone like us to teach them their place." Saren spoke suggestively.

"Spirits forgive me but what were our ancestors thinking—allowing the asari and the salarians to talk them out of incident 314? Earth would've made a fabulous gift for today's generation."

Saren poured himself another glass of brandy. "Humans have nothing to offer." He sang in response.

"Now I wouldn't go that far." General Tol hummed suggestively. "The men, no, but their females…" he licked his mouth plate slowly before continuing, "Hm, I could get lost in their flexible, hot, gooey, tightness for days." His sub vocals chimed hungrily. "Spirits be damned-I need a release."

Saren snorted as he sipped the brandy. "I take it the wife's not exercising the foremost civic duty to her mate?"

"The bitch is more interested in exercising my credit chit than me—which is the reason why I called." The General shifted his weight. "I was browsing through your… merchandise, and I came across one that seemed quite—_alluring_. Alisha Shepard, I believe her name is?"

Saren poured himself another glass, not looking at the monitor. His mandibles tightened against his face. "That one's not available."

General Tol's shoulders stiffened, his eyebrow plates narrowed. "Why not, she die or something?"

Saren could have told him yes but he knew the older turian would want solid proof. The General could not take no for an answer. He had plethora resources at his disposal; meaning that within minutes General Tol could have a small army scouring the galaxy for _his_ human.

The darkened spectre was aware of General Tol's distrust in him, and the grip he held Saren in. It was because of him that Saren was promoted to a spectre. General Tol had been there during Saren's training at the academy. He funded most of Saren's missions; in return General Tol was given sensitive data which he used to blackmail his political enemies. He was the closest thing to a family member that Saren ever had. However, Saren would never ever admit that, not even to himself.

Saren ran a cool talon along the brim of the glass. "She got away." He fed him a half truth. "During transport, she managed to overpower two of the batarian slavers. It's possible that she boarded a shuttle as a stowaway…"

"Overpowered two batarians!" The General interrupted Saren's spiel. Talking aloud, he rubbed his bristly hands together while gawking at a VI of Shpeard off screen. General Tol was practically drooling. "She's got some fight in her… Ah yeah, that's what I like in a female."

The way he kept licking his mouth plates and moaning while talking dirty about _his_ human made Saren want to puke.

"The things I would do to that body,"

"General?" Saren hummed while trying to beat down his gag reflex. "General?"

"You're such a bad girl—the things I'm gonna do to you, you naughty—sexy little pyjack you."

"General!" Saren screamed, making the older turian jump.

He cleared his thought before speaking. "I want her. I'll have my men do a clean sweep of the citadel, and all other major star ports in the galaxy."

"No need, General. I already know where she is."

"Good, good. I'll send a few of my mercs to wrangle her up—you just forward me the coordinates…," _a few mercs_ meaning a small army of turians and krogans.

"That's very kind of you General, but I've got my men on it."

"Nonsense Saren. I'm sure you have more important things to do…"

"Actually I have a little down time to kill."

General Tol spat fictionally. "Yeah but I'm sure you don't want to spend it wrangling up that sexy pyjack." His mandibles were stretched into a grin.

"I could use the exercise, besides, there's some equipment I need to attain on the Zakera Ward. It'll be like that weird human saying… 'Kill two birds with one stone', I believe?"

"I don't delve in human sayings, only their flexible women, spectre." Glancing downward on the screen, General Tol had activated his omni tool. "I've gotta clear my schedule. I'll message you back when and where the sexy little pyjack is to be."

"I will be awaiting your message." Saren replied as most unenthusiastically as possible.

"Good now forgive my brusque mannerism, but I'm afraid I have some business to attend to."

"Enjoy the rest of your evening General." Saren dismissed with a tilt of his head.

"Right, spectre." The screen went dark.

Saren stared at the black square in front of him with the nearly empty glass of brandy resting in one hand. "Shit." He barked, knowing that now he had to _convince_ Shepard to go along with this. Just when he thought he could get out of the game, someone was always there to reel him back in.

This wasn't just about the money, if General Tol wins the election, Saren stood to gain a whole fleet under his command, as well as a spot on the turian hierarchy.

Opening up another secure network, Saren's claw hovered over the holographic buttons for a moment. He then mashed them vigorously, sending Shepard a message.

**Attention** **Alisha**: _You know who this is. Get yourself cleaned up and stay in your apartment until I arrive._

His talon again paused over the send button. With a sharp exhale, he sent the message.


End file.
